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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.

Make a worksheet

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: spell · mouse · kid · coach · wound · bark · board · dip

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. kid — child
  4. wound — an injury
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — a short time
  8. dip — to sink
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bark — to shout
  11. board — a committee
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. kid — to tease
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. spell — magic
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. wound — an injury
  23. board — to get on
  24. bark — of a tree

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