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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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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: straw · net · bank · chair · coach · pound · hand · saw

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. net — in sport
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. chair — a leader
  10. hand — in cards
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bank — of a river
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. net — for catching
  18. bank — for money
  19. net — after costs
  20. bank — for money
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. hand — help
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. chair — a professorship

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