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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: rule · rash · season · bowl · coach · kid · wind · leaves

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. rule — government
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. season — of the year
  14. rash — a series
  15. rule — a law
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. wind — moving air
  20. kid — child
  21. wind — moving air
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. season — in sport

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