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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: coach · mug · bore · content · wind · kid · rash · staff

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — child
  3. staff — employees
  4. bore — to drill
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. staff — employees
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. staff — a stick
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. mug — a cup
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. mug — a face
  15. content — happy
  16. kid — to tease
  17. wind — moving air
  18. content — the amount
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wind — moving air
  21. rash — hasty
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bore — to tire

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