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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: drill · wave · band · rush · leaves · club · spring · can

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. rush — hurry
  3. can — a tin
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. club — for golf
  6. drill — army training
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. band — a music group
  9. can — a tin
  10. spring — of water
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. drill — a practice
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — the season
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. can — to be able to
  20. club — a group
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. club — for dancing
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. drill — the tool

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