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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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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: row · kid · band · rash · season · club · wake · present

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. wake — a trail
  3. row — a line
  4. present — a gift
  5. row — to paddle
  6. present — there
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. season — in sport
  9. band — a music group
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — hasty
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. band — a ring
  18. kid — to tease
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for golf
  21. season — of the year
  22. kid — child
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. club — for dancing

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