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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wound · straw · hand · spell · stand · bowl · coach · chip

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. spell — a short time
  5. stand — to bear
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. hand — in cards
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. chip — for betting
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wound — an injury
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — magic
  19. hand — help
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. chip — to eat

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