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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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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: leaves · firm · club · last · band · squash · safe · rule

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. club — for dancing
  4. firm — decided
  5. rule — a law
  6. last — final
  7. club — a group
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. squash — the sport
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. firm — steady
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. last — finally
  18. club — for golf
  19. firm — a company
  20. last — to go on
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. rule — government
  23. squash — to crush
  24. band — a music 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