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

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. swing — to play on
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. lean — thin
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bark — to shout
  10. swing — in golf
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. swing — music
  13. roll — a cake
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — a container
  16. roll — a list
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — to rest against

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