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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: row · mug · hand · saw · pound · foot · coach · wind

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wind — moving air
  3. row — to paddle
  4. pound — a weight
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — to rob
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. row — a line
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. saw — the tool
  22. hand — in cards
  23. foot — a measure
  24. saw — the tool

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