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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: ball · row · bark · cue · coach · face · wound · roll

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. roll — a list
  5. ball — a great time
  6. bark — to shout
  7. wound — an injury
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — to point toward
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. ball — a dance
  15. cue — a hint
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cue — a signal
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. roll — a cake
  21. row — a line
  22. cue — for pool
  23. face — part of the head
  24. row — to paddle

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