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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 120 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: spring · coach · object · club · rash · chest · root · rock

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. root — of a word
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rock — music
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. object — an aim
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. root — of a plant
  10. object — to protest
  11. club — for golf
  12. chest — of your body
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. root — the cause
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — of water
  19. rash — a series
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. object — a thing
  22. club — for dancing
  23. spring — a coil
  24. club — a group

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