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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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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: cabinet · cold · coach · spell · pop · current

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. current — electric
  5. spell — letters
  6. pop — to visit
  7. spell — a short time
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cold — an illness
  10. spell — magic
  11. current — happening now
  12. cold — not warm
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. current — of water
  16. pop — music
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cabinet — ministers

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