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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: bound · jam · band · cold · club · drill · bank · cap

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. cold — an illness
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. bound — tied together
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cap — a lid
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bound — obliged
  10. club — for dancing
  11. drill — a practice
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. bound — certain
  14. cap — of ice
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a music group
  17. drill — army training
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. bank — for money
  21. cap — a hat
  22. bank — of a river
  23. club — a group
  24. bank — for money

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