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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: kick · band · saw · jam · tube · season · club · firm

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — for golf
  3. season — of the year
  4. firm — decided
  5. season — in sport
  6. band — a music group
  7. saw — the tool
  8. firm — steady
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. firm — a company
  12. club — a group
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. kick — in football
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. tube — a container
  22. tube — the underground
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. band — a ring

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