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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: band · arm · bulb · game · fork · coach · club · fall

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. fall — to drop
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bulb — for light
  6. fork — in a road
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. club — for dancing
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. fall — the season
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. band — a ring
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. club — a group
  19. game — a match
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bulb — for light
  22. club — for golf
  23. band — a music group
  24. arm — part of the body

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