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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: hand · ball · coach · bound · fall · bear · bay · cold

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bound — tied together
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bound — certain
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bound — obliged
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. hand — in cards
  12. fall — the season
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. hand — help
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. ball — a dance
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bear — the animal
  22. ball — a great time
  23. cold — an illness
  24. fall — to drop

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