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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 116 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: rush · mark · rock · coach · bark · cell · face · pitcher

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bark — to shout
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. rock — a stone
  5. mark — a trace
  6. rock — music
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cell — a phone
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. face — to confront
  12. rush — hurry
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. face — to point toward
  17. cell — in biology
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. face — part of the head
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mark — a grade

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