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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: bark · bowl · patient · coach · bound · shower · bear · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bound — tied together
  3. shower — to wash
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. shower — rain
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bound — certain
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  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