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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 116 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: mouse · club · game · band · nail · shower · firm · pop

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. pop — to visit
  5. shower — rain
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — a match
  8. pop — soda
  9. firm — steady
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. club — a group
  15. firm — decided
  16. shower — to wash
  17. club — for golf
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pop — music
  22. firm — a company
  23. club — for dancing
  24. game — wild animals

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