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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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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: coach · present · vault · wind · bore · board

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. wind — moving air
  3. board — to get on
  4. bore — to tire
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. wind — moving air
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. present — there
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. board — a committee
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. present — a gift
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bore — to drill
  16. present — the time now
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. bore — gave birth

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