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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 120 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: spring · cell · lash · bore · coach · court · foot · board

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. board — to get on
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. board — a committee
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. court — for sport
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in biology
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. foot — a measure
  15. bore — to drill
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. court — of a king
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. court — of law
  23. bore — to tire
  24. spring — a coil

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