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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: spell · tube · coach · club · perch · roll · chest · spring

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. chest — of your body
  3. club — for dancing
  4. roll — a list
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. spell — letters
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. spring — a coil
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. perch — the fish
  11. spell — a short time
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. roll — a cake
  14. spring — of water
  15. chest — a box
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. spring — the season
  18. chest — of your body
  19. tube — a container
  20. club — for golf
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. club — a group
  24. tube — the underground

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