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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: chip · cold · jam · bark · straw · coach · lash · mug

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. mug — a face
  5. chip — for betting
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — to shout
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. chip — to eat
  19. cold — an illness
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. mug — a cup
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. mug — to rob
  24. cold — not warm

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