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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: chest · hide · wound · cue · charge · wake · coach · squash

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. charge — electricity
  3. chest — of your body
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cue — for pool
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. charge — in control
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. cue — a hint
  13. chest — of your body
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — to crush
  17. chest — a box
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. squash — the sport
  21. wake — a trail
  22. charge — a price
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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