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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: bark · wave · mate · pound · foot · lean · saw · coach

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. mate — a partner
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. mate — to breed
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. lean — thin
  10. lean — to bend
  11. bark — to shout
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — a weight
  14. mate — a friend
  15. foot — a measure
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. saw — the tool
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. foot — part of the body

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