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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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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: trunk · club · rest · season · cabinet · band · pound · toast

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. club — a group
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. rest — a break
  5. rest — what's left
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pound — a weight
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. club — for dancing
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. toast — bread
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. club — for golf
  21. season — in sport
  22. band — a ring
  23. rest — what's left
  24. toast — the most admired

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