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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 120 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: wind · net · club · season · straw · mate · rest · band

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. rest — what's left
  4. club — for golf
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. club — for dancing
  9. net — after costs
  10. season — in sport
  11. net — in sport
  12. mate — a friend
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — to breed
  16. wind — moving air
  17. club — a group
  18. band — a ring
  19. wind — moving air
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. season — of the year
  22. rest — a break
  23. band — a music group
  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