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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: roll · bore · cabinet · wave · spring · coach · stem · face

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. roll — a cake
  3. bore — to drill
  4. roll — a list
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. spring — of water
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. face — to confront
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. face — to point toward
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. stem — to come from
  19. spring — the season
  20. face — part of the head
  21. bore — to tire
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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