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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 120 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 · wake · coach · can · chair · cold · staff · ball

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — to shout
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. ball — a dance
  8. wake — a trail
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. can — a tin
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chair — a leader
  14. staff — employees
  15. cold — not warm
  16. can — to be able to
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. staff — a stick
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. can — a tin
  23. staff — employees
  24. ball — a great time

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