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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 116 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
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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: tear · wound · straw · track · staff · coach · lie · bark

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bark — to shout
  3. track — to keep track
  4. staff — employees
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. staff — employees
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. staff — a stick
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. tear — from crying
  18. track — a path
  19. tear — to rip
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. track — a song
  24. lie — an untruth

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