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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: bowl · mine · wound · safe · club · fan · coach · roll

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. roll — a list
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. club — for golf
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wound — an injury
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. club — a group
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. roll — a cake
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. club — for dancing
  23. wound — an injury
  24. safe — a strongbox

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