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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: coach · object · tube · arm · mine · stand · spring · hand

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. tube — the underground
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. spring — a coil
  5. hand — help
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. hand — in cards
  12. tube — a container
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. object — to protest
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — of water
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. object — a thing
  19. mine — for digging
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. stand — to bear
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. object — an aim
  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