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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: land · dip · fine · squash · bark · content · coach · calf

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. content — happy
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. squash — to crush
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. content — the amount
  14. fine — high quality
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. land — a country
  17. land — to come down
  18. fine — all right
  19. land — ground
  20. dip — to sink
  21. squash — the sport
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. content — videos and posts

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