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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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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: cue · drill · tube · bark · pitcher · coach · lash · mate

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. drill — the tool
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bark — to shout
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cue — for pool
  9. mate — to breed
  10. drill — army training
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. tube — a container
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. tube — the underground
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cue — a signal
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. drill — a practice
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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