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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: ball · nail · perch · spring · coach · object · lean · cell

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. spring — the season
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. object — to protest
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. spring — a coil
  12. lean — to bend
  13. cell — a phone
  14. ball — a great time
  15. object — a thing
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. lean — thin
  18. cell — in biology
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. spring — of water
  23. ball — a dance
  24. perch — the fish

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