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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 124 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: root · club · hand · mine · date · patient · bank · straw

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. root — of a word
  3. date — the fruit
  4. bank — of a river
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. club — for dancing
  9. root — of a plant
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. club — for golf
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. mine — for digging
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. hand — help
  19. bank — for money
  20. hand — in cards
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bank — for money
  23. root — the cause
  24. date — on the calendar

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