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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: snap · season · cell · coach · bark · board · press · cold

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. press — newspapers
  3. snap — to click
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cell — in biology
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cold — an illness
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. cell — a phone
  17. press — a publisher
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. press — to push
  20. cold — not warm
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bark — to shout
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. board — a committee

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