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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: lash · spring · content · mine · present · march · coach · spell

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mine — for digging
  4. spring — a coil
  5. content — the amount
  6. spell — magic
  7. spring — of water
  8. spell — a short time
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. march — the month
  14. present — a gift
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. march — music
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. spell — letters
  19. march — the month
  20. spring — the season
  21. content — happy
  22. present — there
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. present — the time now

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