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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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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: tube · tear · march · chair · band · bound · pound · club

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. club — a group
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. club — for golf
  5. pound — a weight
  6. bound — certain
  7. tear — from crying
  8. march — the month
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. band — a music group
  12. chair — a leader
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bound — tied together
  17. march — the month
  18. tube — a container
  19. band — a ring
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. bound — obliged
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. club — for dancing

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