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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: bowl · coach · mouse · tear · pit · date · row · bark

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. row — a line
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. date — the fruit
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pit — in a race
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pit — a hole
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bark — to shout
  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