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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 120 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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. squash — to crush
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. squash — the sport
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. staff — a stick
  11. track — a song
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. spell — magic
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. staff — employees
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. spell — letters
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. track — a path
  21. track — to keep track
  22. staff — employees
  23. bark — of a tree
  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