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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: pass · mine · bark · coach · face · cell · lean · bear

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. face — part of the head
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. cell — a phone
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. lean — thin
  13. pass — a permit
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. cell — in biology
  16. mine — for digging
  17. lean — to bend
  18. face — to confront
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bark — to shout
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bear — the animal

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