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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: club · field · fork · band · mouse · fan · coach · wax

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. field — farmland
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — for sport
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a music group
  13. wax — to grow
  14. club — a group
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. fork — in a road
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. club — for dancing
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. fan — a supporter

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