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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: bay · spell · wake · straw · chest · net · wound · coach

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wake — a trail
  3. net — for catching
  4. spell — magic
  5. chest — of your body
  6. spell — letters
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. net — in sport
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. chest — a box
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. net — after costs
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wound — an injury
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. spell — a short time

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