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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.

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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: snap · bore · coach · swing · spell · suit · spring · mine

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. suit — clothes
  4. spell — letters
  5. swing — music
  6. spell — magic
  7. spring — of water
  8. swing — in golf
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. suit — in cards
  13. swing — to play on
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bore — to tire
  17. spring — a coil
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bore — to drill
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spring — the season
  22. snap — to click
  23. suit — to fit
  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