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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
468
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 · race · bark · season · mug · chest · wave · wound

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. season — in sport
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. mug — to rob
  6. bark — to shout
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. mug — a cup
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. chest — of your body
  13. mug — a face
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. season — of the year
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. race — humankind
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — the arms race
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. chest — a box
  24. wound — an injury

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