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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 · shower · wake · calf · coach · court · fine · bore

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. court — of law
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bore — to tire
  7. court — of a king
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. fine — all right
  15. bark — to shout
  16. court — for sport
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — to wash
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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