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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: coach · ball · bark · bay · rock · rush · ground · spring

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. rock — a stone
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. ground — crushed
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. rush — hurry
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. spring — the season
  15. bark — to shout
  16. rock — music
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ball — a dance
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. ground — a position
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. rock — to move gently

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