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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.

Make a worksheet

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: spring · spell · cue · chair · cell · rash · mouse · coach

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spring — the season
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cue — a signal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rash — hasty
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cue — for pool
  14. spell — magic
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. spring — a coil
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. spring — of water
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rash — a series
  23. chair — a leader
  24. cell — a phone

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