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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: drill · stick · stock · saw · jam · fall · bear · club

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  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. club — for golf
  2. club — a group
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. bear — the animal
  5. saw — the tool
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. drill — army training
  12. saw — the tool
  13. drill — a practice
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bear — the animal
  16. stock — goods
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stock — shares
  19. fall — to drop
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. club — for dancing
  23. fall — the season
  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