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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
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 · mate · coach · object · cold · rush · cabinet · cell

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. object — to protest
  4. spring — of water
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. spring — a coil
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — a friend
  14. object — a thing
  15. spring — the season
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. mate — to breed
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — an illness
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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