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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: coach · rock · hand · spell · pound · mine · object · bay

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. object — an aim
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. mine — for digging
  7. hand — in cards
  8. rock — music
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. hand — help
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. object — a thing
  16. pound — a weight
  17. spell — magic
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. object — to protest
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. spell — letters
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rock — a stone

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