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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: coach · wound · cue · bound · chip · drill · net · spring

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bound — tied together
  3. chip — for betting
  4. spring — the season
  5. wound — an injury
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cue — for pool
  10. bound — obliged
  11. net — after costs
  12. chip — to eat
  13. drill — army training
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — a hint
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. spring — a coil
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bound — certain
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. net — for catching
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. spring — of water

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