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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 · foot · rush · hide · band · bark · arm · coach

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. last — finally
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. last — to go on
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. band — a ring
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. foot — a measure
  14. band — a music group
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bark — to shout
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. last — final
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. coach — a trainer

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