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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 · coach · ground · bear · roll · dip · kid · fan

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bear — the animal
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. ground — crushed
  6. kid — child
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. kid — to tease
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. club — a group
  12. bear — the animal
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. club — for golf
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. roll — a list
  19. roll — a cake
  20. ground — a position
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. dip — to sink
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. club — for dancing

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