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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: last · wound · object · coach · rash · rock · bowl · row

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. rock — music
  6. row — to paddle
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — a series
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. row — a line
  12. last — to go on
  13. rash — hasty
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. last — final
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. wound — an injury
  20. object — an aim
  21. object — a thing
  22. rock — a stone
  23. last — finally
  24. object — to protest

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