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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bass · coach · club · wind · spring · cue · roll · saw

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. saw — the tool
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. spring — a coil
  8. club — for dancing
  9. roll — a list
  10. bass — the fish
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. saw — the tool
  13. roll — a cake
  14. club — a group
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. club — for golf
  18. cue — a signal
  19. spring — of water
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a hint
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bass — low music
  24. spring — the season

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