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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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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: pound · dip · race · straw · wind · coach

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. race — the arms race
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pound — a weight
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. race — humankind
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. race — a contest
  18. coach — a trainer

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