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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 116 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: snap · spring · wax · coach · racket · ground · chair · lie

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. ground — a position
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. ground — crushed
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. ground — the earth
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. spring — the season
  19. lie — to recline
  20. wax — to grow
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. spring — of water

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