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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: wound · tube · hide · chest · coach · spring · perch · pop

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. perch — the fish
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. spring — the season
  8. pop — soda
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. spring — a coil
  11. chest — a box
  12. tube — a container
  13. chest — of your body
  14. spring — of water
  15. wound — an injury
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pop — to visit
  18. tube — the underground
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pop — music
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. chest — of your body

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