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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.

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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: swing · staff · charge · coach · wake · wind · content · straw

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. content — the amount
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. charge — a price
  10. swing — in golf
  11. content — happy
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. staff — employees
  16. charge — in control
  17. wind — moving air
  18. swing — music
  19. charge — electricity
  20. staff — a stick
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wake — a trail
  23. staff — employees
  24. swing — to play on

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