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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: fine · leaves · chest · band · last · club · present · mark

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. club — for golf
  6. band — a ring
  7. last — finally
  8. last — to go on
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mark — a grade
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. chest — of your body
  13. present — a gift
  14. mark — a trace
  15. club — for dancing
  16. last — final
  17. chest — a box
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — high quality
  20. band — a music group
  21. chest — of your body
  22. present — there
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. present — the time now

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