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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 120 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: tube · rock · hand · coach · club · mate · cap · ground

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  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. club — for golf
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. rock — music
  5. club — for dancing
  6. cap — a lid
  7. mate — a friend
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. cap — of ice
  10. ground — a position
  11. rock — a stone
  12. cap — a hat
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — to breed
  18. tube — a container
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — the earth
  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