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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: wave · coach · pop · toast · straw · bank · file · kick

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. pop — music
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. toast — bread
  6. file — a tool
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bank — of a river
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bank — for money
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. bank — for money
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. pop — soda
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. file — a line of people
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. pop — to visit
  23. file — a document
  24. kick — in football

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