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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: lean · kid · mouse · present · bay · hand · wound · coach

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. lean — thin
  6. present — the time now
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. present — a gift
  10. wound — an injury
  11. hand — in cards
  12. present — there
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. kid — to tease
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. lean — to bend
  23. kid — child
  24. hand — part of the body

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