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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: lean · coach · bore · saw · date · bowl · can · fall

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. date — the fruit
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. fall — the season
  13. saw — the tool
  14. can — to be able to
  15. lean — thin
  16. bore — to drill
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bore — to tire
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. fall — to drop
  22. lean — to bend
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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