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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 116 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: saw · stand · spring · bound · bat · coach · sharp · club

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. bound — certain
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. club — for dancing
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. saw — the tool
  8. spring — a coil
  9. stand — to bear
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. club — for golf
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. spring — of water
  16. bound — tied together
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bat — the animal
  20. sharp — clever
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. club — a group
  23. spring — the season
  24. bound — obliged

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