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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
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: board · coach · bear · cold · object · fine · spell · leaves

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. board — to get on
  6. fine — all right
  7. bear — the animal
  8. cold — an illness
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. object — an aim
  14. spell — a short time
  15. object — to protest
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. fine — high quality
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. spell — magic
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. object — a thing
  22. board — a committee
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. spell — letters

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