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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. snap — to click
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mug — a cup
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bark — to shout
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. mug — to rob
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mug — a face
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bark — of a tree

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