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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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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: hand · rash · season · chip · spring · coach · lean · band

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. spring — a coil
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. chip — for betting
  7. spring — of water
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. chip — to eat
  11. hand — in cards
  12. band — a music group
  13. lean — thin
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. band — a ring
  16. hand — help
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. spring — the season
  21. season — of the year
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. season — in sport
  24. hand — part of the body

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