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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: swing · press · club · band · foot · bulb · file · drill

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. band — a music group
  3. club — for golf
  4. file — a tool
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. press — to push
  7. club — for dancing
  8. file — a line of people
  9. swing — music
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bulb — for light
  13. club — a group
  14. swing — to play on
  15. press — newspapers
  16. bulb — for light
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. drill — army training
  20. swing — in golf
  21. band — a ring
  22. foot — a measure
  23. file — a document
  24. press — a publisher

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