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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: fan · coach · wound · stick · chair · bear · arm · bowl

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bear — the animal
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. wound — an injury
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bowl — to roll

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