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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: kid · tube · snap · fork · wound · coach · straw · charge

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. charge — a price
  3. wound — an injury
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. fork — in a road
  6. tube — the underground
  7. snap — to click
  8. tube — a container
  9. kid — to tease
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. kid — child
  15. wound — an injury
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. charge — in control
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. charge — electricity
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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