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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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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: coach · stand · vault · wind · chip · cold · calf · bear

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. wind — moving air
  4. vault — a safe
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — not warm
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. chip — to eat
  14. stand — to bear
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. cold — an illness
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. chip — for betting
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bear — to put up with

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