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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: spell · season · rest · cue · coach · bulb · snap · cell

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cue — for pool
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. cell — in biology
  7. season — of the year
  8. spell — magic
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cue — a hint
  12. snap — to click
  13. season — in sport
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. spell — letters
  16. rest — what's left
  17. spell — a short time
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bulb — for light
  21. rest — a break
  22. cue — a signal
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. cell — a phone

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