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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: row · stick · bear · wave · content · net · coach · mug

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. content — the amount
  3. mug — a cup
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. net — after costs
  6. row — a line
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bear — the animal
  13. net — for catching
  14. mug — a face
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. content — happy
  19. net — in sport
  20. mug — to rob
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. bear — the animal
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. row — to paddle

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