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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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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: present · suit · trunk · bowl · club · band · cold · wake

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. present — there
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — not warm
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — a gift
  10. suit — in cards
  11. club — for golf
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. club — a group
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. wake — a trail
  18. suit — to fit
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. band — a ring
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. suit — clothes

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