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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: date · game · straw · mate · coach · wax · staff · pound

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. mate — a friend
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. mate — to breed
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. game — a match
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — the fruit
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — a stick
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. staff — employees
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. wax — to grow
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. game — wild animals
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. mate — a partner
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. game — a kind of play

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