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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 120 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: pound · coach · perch · club · swing · rash · lash · face

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. face — to confront
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — music
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. club — for golf
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. club — a group
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. swing — to play on
  14. pound — a weight
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. rash — hasty
  19. face — part of the head
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. rash — a series
  22. club — for dancing
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. perch — the fish

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