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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 116 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: bear · rock · rash · mouse · coach · spring · cold · bass

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bass — low music
  5. spring — of water
  6. cold — not warm
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. spring — the season
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bass — the fish
  14. rock — a stone
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rash — a series
  18. rock — music
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rash — hasty
  22. spring — a coil
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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