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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: pound · wind · coach · club · land · firm · calf · dip

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. land — a country
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pound — a weight
  9. firm — a company
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. dip — to sink
  12. firm — decided
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for dancing
  16. land — ground
  17. wind — moving air
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. land — to come down
  21. firm — steady
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wind — moving air
  24. calf — a young animal

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