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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: bore · tear · firm · club · cap · last · ball · tube

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. last — final
  3. club — for dancing
  4. tear — to rip
  5. ball — a great time
  6. firm — a company
  7. club — for golf
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cap — a hat
  12. last — finally
  13. cap — of ice
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tube — a container
  17. cap — a lid
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. firm — decided
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — to drill
  23. last — to go on
  24. firm — steady

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