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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: track · coach · straw · land · prune · board · cue · club

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. cue — a signal
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a committee
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. land — to come down
  7. club — a group
  8. track — a song
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. land — a country
  11. prune — to trim
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cue — for pool
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. prune — to trim
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. track — a path
  18. cue — a hint
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. land — ground
  21. club — for golf
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. track — to keep track
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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