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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. spring — the season
  3. degree — temperature
  4. staff — a stick
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. march — the month
  7. degree — an amount
  8. staff — employees
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bank — for money
  11. degree — from a university
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bank — of a river
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — of water
  18. march — music
  19. staff — employees
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bank — for money
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. march — the month

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