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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: cold · coach · toast · mark · bass · lean · calf · spell

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. lean — thin
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — a grade
  5. lean — to bend
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cold — an illness
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. toast — bread
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — a short time
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. spell — magic
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. cold — the Cold War

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