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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.

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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: roll · content · bark · ruler · coach · rash · pitcher · clip

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. clip — for paper
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. content — the amount
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. clip — to cut
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. rash — a series
  16. clip — a video
  17. roll — a cake
  18. content — happy
  19. roll — a list
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bark — to shout
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — on the skin

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