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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: rush · object · bark · squash · coach · chest · fork · snap

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — to crush
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bark — to shout
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. fork — in a road
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — hurry
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. chest — a box
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. object — a thing
  17. object — an aim
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. snap — to click
  23. object — to protest
  24. coach — a trainer

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