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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 · fine · staff · leaves · coach · wound · current · bowl

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. staff — employees
  5. current — happening now
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. staff — employees
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bark — to shout
  15. current — electric
  16. current — of water
  17. wound — an injury
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. wound — an injury
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. staff — a stick
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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