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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: plane · coach · cold · cap · spell · bear · fine · chest

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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 — pulled by horses
  3. bear — the animal
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. cap — a hat
  6. spell — a short time
  7. cap — of ice
  8. chest — of your body
  9. spell — magic
  10. cold — an illness
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. cap — a lid
  14. spell — letters
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. chest — of your body
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bear — the animal
  19. fine — high quality
  20. chest — a box
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — all right
  23. plane — a tool
  24. cold — not warm

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