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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: wake · straw · racket · saw · chip · rock · pound · row

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. row — to paddle
  8. saw — the tool
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. row — a line
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. chip — to eat
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rock — music
  20. chip — for betting
  21. rock — a stone
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. wake — a trail

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