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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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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: dip · club · band · key · leaves · bear · bulb · hand

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — the most important part
  4. band — a music group
  5. hand — help
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. key — in music
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bear — the animal
  13. club — a group
  14. bulb — for light
  15. hand — in cards
  16. band — a ring
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bulb — for light
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. club — for dancing
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. bulb — of a plant

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