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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · coach · bear · stand · patient · last · straw · bark

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bark — to shout
  4. last — finally
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — to bear
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. last — to go on
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. last — final
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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