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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 · club · bear · object · march · staff · saw · cabinet

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  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. object — a thing
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. club — for dancing
  4. saw — the tool
  5. object — to protest
  6. march — the month
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. club — a group
  10. object — an aim
  11. march — music
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. staff — employees
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. march — the month
  19. saw — the tool
  20. club — for golf
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  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