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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: firm · march · club · lean · bore · chair · coach · lash

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. firm — steady
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. bore — to tire
  5. chair — a leader
  6. lean — thin
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. march — the month
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. club — a group
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. firm — a company
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bore — to drill
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. lean — to bend
  17. firm — decided
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. march — music
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. march — the month
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. club — for dancing

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