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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: fan · charge · spring · chair · cell · board · last · coach

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. spring — a coil
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — final
  7. charge — in control
  8. chair — a leader
  9. cell — in biology
  10. board — to get on
  11. spring — the season
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. board — a committee
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. charge — electricity
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. spring — of water
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. last — finally
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. charge — a price

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