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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: bay · pass · club · swing · tear · band · can · cold

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. club — a group
  4. can — a tin
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. tear — to rip
  7. swing — music
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. swing — in golf
  12. band — a ring
  13. club — for golf
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. can — a tin
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cold — not warm
  20. club — for dancing
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. swing — to play on
  24. pass — a permit

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