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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 · chest · straw · craft · race · rush · coach · bay

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. race — humankind
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. craft — boats
  7. spring — the season
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. spring — of water
  15. chest — of your body
  16. craft — a skill
  17. spring — a coil
  18. race — a contest
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. race — the arms race
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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