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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: coach · face · object · bank · charge · last · spring · chest

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. face — to confront
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. spring — of water
  5. face — to point toward
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bank — of a river
  8. charge — electricity
  9. bank — for money
  10. object — a thing
  11. last — finally
  12. chest — of your body
  13. charge — a price
  14. last — final
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. charge — in control
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. spring — the season
  19. face — part of the head
  20. chest — a box
  21. bank — for money
  22. object — an aim
  23. last — to go on
  24. spring — a coil

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