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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: club · face · wound · fan · swing · calf · coach · plane

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. face — to point toward
  6. wound — an injury
  7. face — to confront
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. club — for dancing
  10. plane — a tool
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. club — a group
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. face — part of the head
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. swing — to play on
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — music
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wound — an injury
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. coach — a trainer

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