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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: pitcher · march · coach · foot · file · mouse · bark · jam

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. march — music
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. file — a tool
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. foot — a measure
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bark — to shout
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. march — the month
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. file — a document
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. march — the month
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. file — a line of people

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