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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. club — a group
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bank — of a river
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. stand — to bear
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bank — for money
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. kid — child
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wound — an injury
  20. club — for golf
  21. kid — to tease
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. bank — for money
  24. coach — a trainer

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