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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: club · wake · craft · band · chair · fan · mouse · rule

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. club — for golf
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. rule — government
  7. craft — a skill
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. wake — a trail
  11. chair — a leader
  12. rule — a law
  13. craft — boats
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. club — for dancing
  18. band — a ring
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. band — a music group
  24. club — a group

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