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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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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: hand · toast · swing · club · coach · staff · nail · branch

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — a group
  3. hand — help
  4. swing — music
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — in golf
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. staff — employees
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. branch — a division
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. club — for dancing
  17. staff — employees
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. staff — a stick
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. toast — bread
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. hand — in cards

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