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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cell · suit · prune · coach · cold · object · spell · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. cold — not warm
  3. suit — in cards
  4. object — a thing
  5. spring — a coil
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. object — an aim
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. prune — to trim
  11. object — to protest
  12. suit — clothes
  13. spell — magic
  14. cell — in biology
  15. spell — a short time
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. spell — letters
  18. prune — to trim
  19. spring — the season
  20. suit — to fit
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cold — an illness

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