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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bear · spring · racket · coach · kid · march · hide · rash

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. spring — of water
  4. march — the month
  5. rash — a series
  6. march — the month
  7. spring — the season
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. kid — child
  10. rash — hasty
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bear — the animal
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. march — music
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. kid — to tease

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