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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 · pass · shower · wake · fan · coach · arm · field

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. field — a subject
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. field — for sport
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. shower — to wash
  13. field — farmland
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. club — a group
  17. pass — a permit
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. club — for dancing
  22. club — for golf
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. wake — a trail

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