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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: club · fan · drill · rest · hide · rush · band · row

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. club — for golf
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. drill — a practice
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. drill — the tool
  11. band — a music group
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. club — for dancing
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. club — a group
  17. rush — hurry
  18. drill — army training
  19. rest — what's left
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. row — to paddle
  24. rush — to hurry

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