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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 120 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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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: mug · coach · hide · craft · rest · cold · bark · cell

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mug — a face
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bark — to shout
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mug — a cup
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. craft — boats
  15. cell — in biology
  16. craft — a skill
  17. rest — a break
  18. cold — not warm
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cold — an illness
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. cell — a phone
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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