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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: coach · wave · chest · rush · mate · kid · wake · mine

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rush — hurry
  4. wake — a trail
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mate — to breed
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mate — a partner
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. kid — to tease
  16. mine — for digging
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. chest — a box
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — child
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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