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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.

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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: club · band · nail · tear · chair · bowl

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. club — for golf
  7. tear — from crying
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. club — a group
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. club — for dancing
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a music group
  17. chair — a leader
  18. nail — on a finger

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