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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: squash · drill · shower · band · club · charge · bound · arm

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. club — a group
  3. bound — obliged
  4. squash — the sport
  5. shower — to wash
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. charge — a price
  8. club — for dancing
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bound — certain
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. squash — to crush
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. drill — army training
  15. band — a music group
  16. shower — rain
  17. charge — in control
  18. bound — tied together
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. club — for golf
  21. charge — electricity
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — the tool
  24. band — a rubber band

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