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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 116 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: firm · mate · club · mark · band · present · spring · hand

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — a friend
  3. present — the time now
  4. mark — a grade
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. club — for golf
  7. hand — help
  8. firm — a company
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. present — a gift
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. firm — decided
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. present — there
  18. band — a music group
  19. club — for dancing
  20. hand — in cards
  21. mark — a trace
  22. firm — steady
  23. club — a group
  24. mate — to breed

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