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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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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. spring — a coil
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — in control
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. scale — size or range
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. spring — of water
  13. wound — an injury
  14. charge — a price
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bear — the animal
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. bear — the animal
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. spring — the season

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