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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. fine — all right
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. chest — a box
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — to shout
  10. fine — high quality
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — boats
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. rush — hurry
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pound — a weight
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. craft — a skill
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. pound — to hit hard

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