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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: chest · spring · roll · coach · wax · net · mug · stem

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — a coil
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. wax — to grow
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. roll — a cake
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. spring — of water
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mug — a face
  17. net — in sport
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. roll — a list
  23. mug — to rob
  24. stem — to come from

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