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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 120 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: dip · staff · spring · rule · coach · mine · snap · race

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rule — government
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. staff — employees
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. mine — for digging
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. snap — to click
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. staff — a stick
  12. spring — of water
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. dip — to sink
  15. spring — the season
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. race — humankind
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. spring — a coil
  22. staff — employees
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — a contest

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