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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.

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: chest · date · leaves · rash · ruler · coach · spell · snap

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. spell — letters
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. rash — a series
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. snap — to click
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. spell — magic
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. rash — hasty
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. date — the fruit
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. chest — of your body

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