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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: bear · object · mine · coach · chest · mug · bay · snap

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bear — the animal
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. chest — a box
  6. mug — a cup
  7. snap — to click
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. object — to protest
  10. chest — of your body
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. object — an aim
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bear — the animal
  15. chest — of your body
  16. object — a thing
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mug — a face
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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