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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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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 · coach · band · dip · stand · kid · hide · cell

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. stand — to bear
  3. spring — of water
  4. cell — a phone
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — to tease
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. band — a ring
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. dip — to sink
  14. spring — a coil
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. cell — in biology
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. band — a music group
  19. kid — child
  20. spring — the season
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. stand — on your feet
  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