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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: press · coach · kid · rock · shower · date · bark · mouse

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. press — to push
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. kid — child
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bark — to shout
  12. date — the fruit
  13. rock — a stone
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. press — a publisher
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. press — newspapers
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — rain
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. rock — music

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