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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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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: stick · cold · mouse · coach · calf · wind · straw · squash

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. squash — to crush
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. cold — not warm
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. squash — the sport
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cold — an illness
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wind — moving air

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