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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 · bear · band · bore · present · coach · snap · swing

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bear — the animal
  3. band — a music group
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. roll — a cake
  6. present — the time now
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. band — a ring
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. roll — a list
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. swing — in golf
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. present — a gift
  16. bore — to tire
  17. swing — to play on
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bear — the animal
  20. snap — to click
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. swing — music
  23. present — there
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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