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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.

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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: pound · coach · row · spell · stick · rock · straw · rule

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. spell — a short time
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — a line
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. pound — a weight
  11. rule — government
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. row — to paddle
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. spell — letters
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. rule — a law
  19. rock — a stone
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. spell — magic
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. rock — to move gently

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