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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: bark · stock · snap · saw · last · coach · bowl · board

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. last — to go on
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. snap — to click
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. saw — the tool
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. last — final
  16. board — a committee
  17. stock — goods
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. stock — shares
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. last — finally
  24. board — to get on

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