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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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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: rock · bowl · straw · wave · calf · coach · bank · row

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. row — a line
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bank — for money
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. bank — of a river
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. row — to paddle
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. rock — a stone
  24. straw — a straw man

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