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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
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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: toast · coach · deal · mine · bark · mug · row · trunk

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mug — to rob
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. row — a line
  16. row — to paddle
  17. mug — a face
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — to handle
  21. toast — bread
  22. mug — a cup
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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