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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: coach · trunk · season · squash · club · fall · wind · present

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. season — of the year
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. present — there
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. fall — to drop
  10. squash — to crush
  11. fall — the season
  12. club — a group
  13. present — a gift
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. present — the time now
  17. season — in sport
  18. squash — the sport
  19. fall — to drop
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. wind — moving air
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. club — for dancing

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