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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: cell · mouse · drill · rest · bark · hand · coach · snap

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. drill — army training
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bark — to shout
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. snap — to click
  12. rest — a break
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. hand — help
  17. cell — a phone
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. drill — a practice
  23. cell — in biology
  24. mouse — the animal

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