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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. club — for dancing
  4. mine — for digging
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fork — in a road
  18. branch — a division
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. club — for golf
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. club — a group

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