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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: toast · board · club · wake · wound · lash · coach · content

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. content — the amount
  4. wound — an injury
  5. content — happy
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. toast — bread
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. club — a group
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. club — for dancing
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. board — a committee
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wound — an injury
  20. club — for golf
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. board — to get on

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