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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: spell · club · wind · lean · coach · can · date · bound

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. can — a tin
  3. date — the fruit
  4. wind — moving air
  5. club — for dancing
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. club — for golf
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. lean — thin
  11. spell — letters
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. spell — a short time
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — tied together
  19. can — to be able to
  20. lean — to bend
  21. can — a tin
  22. spell — magic
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. wind — moving air

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