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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: deal · bark · bulb · spring · stick · bore · coach · kid

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. deal — to handle
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. spring — a coil
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bulb — for light
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bore — to drill
  14. spring — of water
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bore — to tire
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. kid — child
  21. spring — the season
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bore — gave birth

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