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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: mark · bass · rush · row · straw · coach · wind · patient

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. rush — hurry
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. row — a line
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. mark — a grade
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. wind — moving air
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bass — low music
  16. row — to paddle
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bass — the fish
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. patient — a sick person

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