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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 · drill · swing · rule · bark · season · calf · wave

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. swing — in golf
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. drill — the tool
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. drill — army training
  10. rule — a law
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. season — in sport
  17. swing — music
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bark — to shout
  22. rule — government
  23. drill — a practice
  24. swing — to play on

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