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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: patient · coach · bowl · object · season · bore · spring · rule

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. season — of the year
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rule — government
  9. rule — a law
  10. season — in sport
  11. object — to protest
  12. object — a thing
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. object — an aim
  19. spring — of water
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bore — to tire
  22. spring — the season
  23. bore — to drill
  24. patient — a sick person

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