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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: wind · bear · cold · cue · bore · bowl · coach · mouse

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. cold — an illness
  3. bear — the animal
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cue — a signal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cue — for pool
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bore — to tire
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bore — to drill
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cold — not warm
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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