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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: chip · mate · wound · spring · row · bowl · bay · coach

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  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. spring — the season
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. mate — to breed
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wound — an injury
  6. row — a line
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. chip — for betting
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — of water
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. wound — an injury
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. row — to paddle
  20. mate — a partner
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. chip — to eat
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  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