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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mate — a friend
  3. root — the cause
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. roll — a cake
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. mate — a partner
  10. current — happening now
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. wound — an injury
  13. current — electric
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. root — of a word
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. root — of a plant
  18. current — of water
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mate — to breed
  22. roll — a list
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bark — to shout

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