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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: wind · club · toast · saw · coach · fork · racket · shower

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. saw — the tool
  3. toast — bread
  4. wind — moving air
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. shower — rain
  7. club — for dancing
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. shower — to wash
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. fork — in a road
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. saw — the tool
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. wind — moving air
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. club — for golf

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