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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
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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: bear · ball · hide · wind · spring · tear · coach · bound

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wind — moving air
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bear — the animal
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. spring — of water
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — obliged
  12. ball — a great time
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bound — tied together
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. spring — the season
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bear — the animal
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. ball — a dance
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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