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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: club · coach · saw · jam · wind · perch · bulb · patient

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. wind — moving air
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. club — for golf
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bulb — for light
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. club — for dancing
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bulb — for light
  16. saw — the tool
  17. perch — the fish
  18. club — a group
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wind — moving air
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. jam — in traffic

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