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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: stick · bass · wind · chair · rush · coach · nail · club

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. club — for golf
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — low music
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. chair — a leader
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. club — a group

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