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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 120 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: wound · hide · club · cell · pound · wave · coach · chair

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. wound — an injury
  8. chair — a leader
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pound — a weight
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. club — a group
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. wound — an injury
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. club — for dancing
  21. club — for golf
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in biology
  24. wave — of the sea

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