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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: spring · bat · coach · ground · craft · saw · rock · pop

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. pop — music
  6. spring — a coil
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — a position
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. spring — the season
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. rock — music
  14. craft — boats
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — soda
  21. spring — of water
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bat — the animal
  24. coach — a trainer

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