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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. spring — a coil
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. lean — thin
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. staff — employees
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. cap — a lid
  11. pop — music
  12. spring — the season
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. spring — of water
  16. cap — of ice
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. pop — soda
  20. cap — a hat
  21. staff — a stick
  22. pop — to visit
  23. staff — employees
  24. bowl — to roll

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