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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 116 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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bear — the animal
  4. spring — the season
  5. rock — a stone
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. wound — an injury
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — tied together
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. rest — what's left
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rest — a break
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — music
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bound — certain
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — of water

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