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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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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 · can · fan · wind · tube · pound · foot · ruler

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. can — a tin
  3. club — for golf
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. tube — the underground
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. pound — a weight
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. club — a group
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. wind — moving air
  19. can — a tin
  20. tube — a container
  21. wind — moving air
  22. can — to be able to
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. foot — part of the body

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