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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bark · fall · coach · wound · hide · row · fan · toast

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — to paddle
  3. fall — to drop
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. fall — the season
  6. row — a line
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. fall — to drop
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. toast — bread
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. bark — to shout
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. wound — an injury

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