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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fan · cell · club · bound · cabinet · mug · mate · nail

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. club — a group
  3. mate — a friend
  4. cell — a phone
  5. mug — a face
  6. mug — a cup
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. club — for dancing
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bound — certain
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — obliged
  17. club — for golf
  18. mate — a partner
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mate — to breed
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mug — to rob
  24. cell — in biology

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com