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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 120 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: bulb · can · coach · last · hand · swing · row · craft

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. last — final
  6. craft — a skill
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. can — to be able to
  9. hand — in cards
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. bulb — for light
  12. row — a line
  13. swing — to play on
  14. hand — help
  15. swing — music
  16. craft — boats
  17. row — to paddle
  18. can — a tin
  19. last — finally
  20. can — a tin
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. swing — in golf
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. last — to go on

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