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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: saw · snap · season · board · fall · hand · coach · spring

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. hand — help
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. season — in sport
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. season — of the year
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. saw — the tool
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. fall — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. hand — in cards
  17. board — a committee
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. saw — the tool
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. snap — to click
  23. board — to get on
  24. spring — the season

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