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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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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: drill · key · club · stick · bulb · swing · cell · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. club — a group
  6. swing — music
  7. key — the most important part
  8. band — a ring
  9. key — in music
  10. drill — the tool
  11. bulb — for light
  12. swing — to play on
  13. cell — a phone
  14. swing — in golf
  15. bulb — for light
  16. drill — army training
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. club — for dancing
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. drill — a practice
  21. key — for a lock
  22. cell — in biology
  23. club — for golf
  24. bulb — of a plant

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