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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 · racket · cold · trunk · chip · pop · cue

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. spring — of water
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cold — not warm
  12. pop — soda
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. pop — music
  15. cue — a hint
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. chip — for betting
  18. chip — to eat
  19. cold — an illness
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. cue — a signal
  23. pop — to visit
  24. spring — a coil

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