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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: season · wind · last · bound · temple · roll · foot · coach

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. foot — a measure
  3. last — final
  4. bound — certain
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bound — tied together
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. roll — a list
  11. season — in sport
  12. last — finally
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. last — to go on
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. wind — moving air
  20. roll — a cake
  21. season — of the year
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bound — obliged
  24. coach — a trainer

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