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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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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: deal · coach · swing · bay · bark · shower · bat · bank

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bank — of a river
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bank — for money
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. shower — rain
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bank — for money
  13. deal — to handle
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bark — to shout
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. swing — music
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. shower — to wash
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. bat — for baseball

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