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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: nail · wave · key · plane · bay · straw · chest · coach

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. key — in music
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. chest — of your body
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. key — for a lock
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. chest — a box
  20. plane — a tool
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. coach — a trainer

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