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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: fan · club · bound · wax · date · hand · coach · racket

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bound — obliged
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bound — tied together
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. club — for golf
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bound — certain
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. club — a group
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. wax — to grow
  21. date — the fruit
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. club — for dancing
  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