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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: mate · coach · spring · mouse · straw · rash · vault · fall

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. spring — of water
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — a friend
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. fall — the season
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — hasty
  14. spring — a coil
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. mate — to breed
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fall — to drop
  22. spring — the season
  23. vault — a safe
  24. mouse — the animal

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