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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: fine · wound · mine · coach · chest · spring · roll · charge

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  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. roll — a list
  2. spring — a coil
  3. charge — a price
  4. wound — an injury
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. charge — electricity
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. fine — high quality
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. roll — a cake
  20. fine — all right
  21. spring — the season
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. charge — in control
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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