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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: mate · coach · spring · board · wound · row · sharp · craft

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mate — a partner
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. board — to get on
  9. sharp — clever
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. row — a line
  12. spring — of water
  13. row — to paddle
  14. craft — a skill
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wound — an injury
  17. spring — a coil
  18. wound — an injury
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. mate — to breed
  21. board — a committee
  22. mate — a friend
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. craft — boats

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