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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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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: snap · bass · wound · mouse · foot · coach · wind · bore

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bore — to drill
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. wound — an injury
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. wind — moving air
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bass — low music
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bass — the fish
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. foot — a measure
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. snap — to click
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bore — to tire
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bass — the instrument

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