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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: bulb · land · club · drill · band · straw · craft · rest

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. band — a music group
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — a skill
  6. club — a group
  7. craft — boats
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — army training
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rest — what's left
  14. land — to come down
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. land — a country
  17. band — a ring
  18. land — ground
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bulb — for light
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. club — for golf
  23. rest — a break
  24. rest — what's left

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