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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: club · object · rash · coach · pound · saw · court · trunk

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. rash — hasty
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. object — an aim
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. club — a group
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. court — of law
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. club — for golf
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. court — for sport
  16. rash — a series
  17. saw — the tool
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. court — of a king
  20. pound — a weight
  21. object — to protest
  22. saw — the tool
  23. object — a thing
  24. trunk — of a car

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