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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 116 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: root · field · mouse · bound · pitch · straw · snap · coach

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bound — obliged
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. pitch — completely
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. root — of a word
  11. bound — tied together
  12. root — the cause
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. snap — to click
  17. field — a subject
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bound — certain
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. root — of a plant
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — for sport

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