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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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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: wave · coach · kid · rash · roll · race · stick · bark

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. race — a contest
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. roll — a cake
  8. kid — child
  9. bark — to shout
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rash — hasty
  13. kid — to tease
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — the arms race
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. roll — a list
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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