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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: spring · foot · ball · scale · cap · coach · rash · rest

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. rash — a series
  3. scale — size or range
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cap — of ice
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. spring — the season
  10. ball — a dance
  11. rest — a break
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. ball — a great time
  14. cap — a lid
  15. scale — in music
  16. spring — a coil
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. foot — a measure
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cap — a hat
  22. spring — of water
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. foot — 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