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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: net · coach · calf · band · fan · season · club · perch

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. band — a ring
  7. club — a group
  8. season — in sport
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. perch — the fish
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. net — for catching
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. club — for dancing
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. band — a music group
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. net — after costs
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. net — in sport

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