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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: stand · mouse · straw · cell · wind · coach

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. stand — to bear
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air

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