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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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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: wake · hide · coach · hand · season · kick · bound · dip

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bound — certain
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bound — obliged
  10. wake — a trail
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. season — in sport
  13. bound — tied together
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. hand — help
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — in football
  22. hand — in cards
  23. dip — to sink
  24. hide — animal skin

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