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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: bowl · wound · rest · content · coach · bear · march · shower

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bear — the animal
  4. wound — an injury
  5. shower — to wash
  6. march — the month
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. content — the amount
  11. rest — what's left
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. march — the month
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. march — music
  19. shower — rain
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. content — happy

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