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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: foot · mine · coach · rash · shower · content · mug · bark

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. rash — a series
  3. foot — a measure
  4. content — happy
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mug — to rob
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — hasty
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. shower — rain
  15. mug — a face
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mug — a cup
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. content — the amount
  24. foot — part of the body

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