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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. mug — a cup
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. dip — to sink
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. squash — to crush
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mug — a face
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. file — a line of people
  16. squash — the sport
  17. file — a tool
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. stem — to come from
  21. bark — to shout
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. mug — to rob
  24. file — a document

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