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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 116 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bark — to shout
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. rush — hurry
  9. root — of a plant
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bass — low music
  12. root — the cause
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. sharp — clever
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. root — of a word
  23. mug — a face
  24. rush — a thrill

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