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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 116 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
468
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: coach · stem · swing · court · scale · spring · key · racket

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. swing — to play on
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. swing — music
  5. stem — to come from
  6. spring — of water
  7. key — in music
  8. key — the most important part
  9. court — for sport
  10. spring — a coil
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. swing — in golf
  14. spring — the season
  15. court — of a king
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — in music
  19. court — of law
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. key — for a lock

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