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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: march · staff · board · bear · coach · bulb · straw · wound

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — to get on
  5. staff — a stick
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. staff — employees
  10. wound — an injury
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. wound — an injury
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. bulb — for light
  23. staff — employees
  24. march — the month

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