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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. squash — the sport
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bark — to shout
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. squash — to crush
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. rash — hasty
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — to rob
  13. spring — the season
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. mug — a cup
  19. rash — a series
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. spring — of water
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. pitcher — a jug

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