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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: coach · can · row · club · lash · staff · wake · bound

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. can — a tin
  3. bound — tied together
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bound — obliged
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. staff — employees
  11. club — a group
  12. staff — a stick
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. row — a line
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. row — to paddle
  18. staff — employees
  19. club — for dancing
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bound — certain
  24. can — a tin

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