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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: present · club · wake · chest · can · bay · saw · band

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. club — for golf
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a music group
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wake — a trail
  13. present — a gift
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. club — for dancing
  16. saw — the tool
  17. club — a group
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. can — to be able to
  20. chest — of your body
  21. can — a tin
  22. chest — a box
  23. present — there
  24. can — a tin

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