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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 112 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. lean — to bend
  3. season — in sport
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bore — to drill
  6. lean — thin
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. spring — a coil
  9. suit — to fit
  10. wake — a trail
  11. spring — the season
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bore — to tire
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. suit — in cards
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. suit — clothes
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. spring — of water
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. kid — child

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