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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: present · spring · kid · current · coach · bark · ball · fine

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  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 — a trainer
  2. spring — a coil
  3. current — of water
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. ball — a dance
  6. fine — all right
  7. spring — of water
  8. present — a gift
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — there
  14. spring — the season
  15. current — electric
  16. fine — high quality
  17. bark — to shout
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. ball — a great time
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. current — happening now
  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