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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: sharp · wax · bark · game · straw · coach · mouse · fan

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. game — wild animals
  4. wax — to grow
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. bark — to shout
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. sharp — clever
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. game — a match
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bark — of a tree

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