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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: bore · coach · bark · tube · foot · shower · mug · lie

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bore — to tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. mug — a cup
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bore — to drill
  10. mug — a face
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. foot — a measure
  15. bark — to shout
  16. shower — rain
  17. mug — to rob
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. shower — to wash
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. foot — the bottom

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