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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: temple · coach · spell · leaves · bore · pound · bowl · pop

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. spell — magic
  9. pop — music
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. spell — letters
  12. pound — a weight
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bore — to tire
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. pop — soda
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pop — to visit
  22. bore — to drill
  23. spell — a short time
  24. pound — to hit hard

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