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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: board · stick · spell · squash · bark · cabinet · coach · patient

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. spell — letters
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. spell — magic
  8. bark — to shout
  9. board — a committee
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. spell — a short time
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. squash — the sport
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. board — to get on
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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