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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 · coach · bore · chest · mug · lean · cue · mine

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. lean — to bend
  3. chest — a box
  4. cue — a hint
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mine — for digging
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. lean — thin
  11. bore — to tire
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bark — to shout
  16. chest — of your body
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cue — for pool
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. mug — to rob
  21. cue — a signal
  22. mug — a face
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mug — a cup

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