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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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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: calf · club · land · chip · coach · wave · bark · row

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. land — ground
  7. chip — for betting
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — a group
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. land — to come down
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. row — to paddle
  15. land — a country
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. row — a line
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. club — for golf
  24. bark — of a tree

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