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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: coach · toast · wave · pound · bark · swing · perch · chest

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. chest — of your body
  4. swing — in golf
  5. bark — to shout
  6. swing — music
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. chest — of your body
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. perch — the fish
  18. swing — to play on
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. toast — bread
  21. chest — a box
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. pound — a weight

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