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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.

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: hand · track · bore · coach · snap · season · wind · bear

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bear — the animal
  3. track — a song
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. hand — help
  6. season — in sport
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. snap — to click
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. track — a path
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wind — moving air
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bore — to tire
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. track — to keep track
  20. season — of the year
  21. hand — in cards
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bore — to drill
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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