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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: key · pound · fine · bowl · tear · wind · club · fan

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. key — for a lock
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. club — for golf
  8. fine — all right
  9. wind — moving air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. key — in music
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. wind — moving air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. club — for dancing
  16. fine — high quality
  17. tear — to rip
  18. pound — a weight
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. key — the most important part
  24. fan — to cool the air

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