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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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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: march · bay · mate · squash · wave · straw · staff · coach

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. squash — the sport
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. staff — employees
  11. mate — to breed
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. march — the month
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. mate — a friend
  16. march — the month
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. mate — a partner
  19. march — music
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. squash — to crush
  23. staff — a stick
  24. squash — the vegetable

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