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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: march · coach · bark · ball · mate · shower · fan · calf

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. march — the month
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. mate — a partner
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — to wash
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bark — to shout
  15. mate — to breed
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mate — a friend
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. ball — a great time
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. ball — a dance

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