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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: bulb · board · straw · kid · coach · sharp · season · ground

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. board — to get on
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. ground — the earth
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. season — of the year
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bulb — for light
  10. ground — crushed
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. board — a committee
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. ground — a position
  17. kid — to tease
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. kid — child
  20. season — in sport
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. sharp — clever

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