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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: toast · march · fine · roll · coach · lean · wind · spring

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. roll — a list
  3. wind — moving air
  4. fine — all right
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — to bend
  8. spring — of water
  9. march — the month
  10. wind — moving air
  11. march — the month
  12. spring — the season
  13. lean — thin
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. fine — high quality
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. toast — bread
  18. march — music
  19. spring — a coil
  20. roll — a cake
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. roll — on a roll

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