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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 · saw · cell · tube · race · wave · coach · fine

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. fine — high quality
  3. spring — a coil
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. race — a contest
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. cell — a phone
  10. fine — all right
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. cell — in biology
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. tube — the underground
  15. race — humankind
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. tube — a container
  18. spring — of water
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. saw — the tool
  21. spring — the season
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. coach — a trainer

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