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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 · foot · pound · charge · chest · wound · plane · rush

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. charge — a price
  4. foot — a measure
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. plane — a tool
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. charge — in control
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. rush — hurry
  21. wound — an injury
  22. charge — electricity
  23. pound — a weight
  24. wound — an injury

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