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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.

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: coach · staff · wound · tube · squash · roll · rush · chip

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. staff — a stick
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. roll — a cake
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. rush — hurry
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. wound — an injury
  14. chip — for betting
  15. squash — the sport
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — a container
  18. roll — a list
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. squash — to crush
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. 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