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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 116 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: wind · coach · spring · board · spell · can · sharp · kick

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. wind — moving air
  5. spell — a short time
  6. kick — in football
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. spring — the season
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. sharp — clever
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. spell — letters
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. spring — of water
  21. board — to get on
  22. can — to be able to
  23. wind — moving air
  24. spring — a coil

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