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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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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: coach · lean · bear · wax · ground · straw · kick · pound

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. ground — a position
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. ground — crushed
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. lean — thin
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. pound — a weight
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bear — the animal
  24. ground — the earth

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