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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · band · pound · swing · dip · fan · spell · coach

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. swing — to play on
  5. spell — letters
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a ring
  11. pound — a weight
  12. swing — in golf
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — magic
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. swing — music
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. dip — to sink

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