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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 · mug · bowl · coach · club · staff · ground

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mug — to rob
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. staff — employees
  6. ground — a position
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mug — a face
  11. staff — employees
  12. club — for golf
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. spring — the season
  16. mug — a cup
  17. staff — a stick
  18. ground — crushed
  19. chest — a box
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. ground — the earth
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — a group
  24. spring — of water

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