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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 120 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: snap · mug · dip · kid · coach · squash · hide · spring

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. spring — of water
  3. mug — a cup
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. squash — the sport
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. kid — child
  8. dip — to sink
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. spring — a coil
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. mug — a face
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. snap — to click
  17. squash — to crush
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. spring — the season
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. mug — to rob
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. kid — to tease

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