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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: chair · drill · band · net · can · bass · bore · club

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. net — after costs
  3. drill — a practice
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. band — a music group
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. drill — the tool
  12. net — in sport
  13. club — a group
  14. chair — a leader
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. drill — army training
  18. net — for catching
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. club — for dancing
  21. bass — low music
  22. club — for golf
  23. bore — to tire
  24. band — a ring

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