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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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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: straw · wind · bay · wave · rest · bark · coach · pound

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. pound — a weight
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rest — a break
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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