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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: straw · wax · foot · coach · bark · firm · drill · row

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. foot — a measure
  5. drill — the tool
  6. row — a line
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bark — to shout
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. row — to paddle
  14. firm — steady
  15. firm — decided
  16. drill — a practice
  17. firm — a company
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. drill — army training
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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