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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: calf · chair · wake · cell · net · coach · pound · hand

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. cell — in biology
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. pound — a weight
  6. hand — help
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. chair — a leader
  10. net — for catching
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. net — after costs
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. hand — in cards
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. wake — a trail
  22. net — in sport
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. cell — a phone

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