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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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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 · drill · patient · band · cue · bay

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. band — a music group
  3. drill — the tool
  4. club — for dancing
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. drill — a practice
  10. band — a ring
  11. drill — army training
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. club — for golf
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. cue — a signal
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. band — a rubber band

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