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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: track · patient · bark · coach · shower · suit · rock · bore

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. suit — in cards
  3. track — a path
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bore — to drill
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. shower — to wash
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. shower — rain
  15. bark — to shout
  16. suit — to fit
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. suit — clothes
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. track — a song

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