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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 120 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: foot · object · kick · coach · bass · wound · tear · stand

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stand — to bear
  4. object — a thing
  5. foot — a measure
  6. tear — to rip
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bass — low music
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. object — an aim
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. bass — the fish
  19. object — to protest
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. tear — from crying

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