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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. object — an aim
  4. land — a country
  5. craft — boats
  6. band — a ring
  7. land — to come down
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. spell — magic
  10. craft — a skill
  11. spring — the season
  12. object — a thing
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. spell — a short time
  15. band — a music group
  16. chair — a leader
  17. object — to protest
  18. spring — a coil
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. spring — of water
  23. spell — letters
  24. land — ground

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