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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · pass · cap · land · chest · coach · bark · row

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. bark — to shout
  7. cap — of ice
  8. row — a line
  9. can — a tin
  10. chest — a box
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pass — a permit
  15. can — to be able to
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. cap — a lid
  18. land — a country
  19. row — to paddle
  20. can — a tin
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cap — a hat
  23. land — ground
  24. coach — a trainer

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