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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · arm · mouse · wound · band · bark · chair · rush

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. chair — a leader
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. band — a music group
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bark — to shout
  13. band — a ring
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. rush — hurry
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. arm — part of the body

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