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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: toast · lean · spell · fine · spring · arm · bark · coach

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. spell — magic
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. lean — thin
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — of water
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. fine — high quality
  14. toast — bread
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. spring — a coil
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. fine — all right
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — to shout
  22. spell — letters
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. spell — a short time

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