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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: hand · perch · track · dip · band · coach · straw · swing

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. hand — help
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. swing — in golf
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. dip — to sink
  11. band — a music group
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. swing — to play on
  15. track — a path
  16. swing — music
  17. perch — the fish
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. track — a song
  22. track — to keep track
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. perch — for a bird

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