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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: coach · squash · face · bowl · present · bark · rush · ground

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bark — to shout
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. present — there
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. ground — a position
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. present — the time now
  16. face — to point toward
  17. rush — hurry
  18. squash — to crush
  19. present — a gift
  20. face — to confront
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. ground — the earth
  23. squash — the sport
  24. face — part of the head

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