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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.

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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: coach · spring · kid · spell · perch · deal · ground · hide

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. ground — the earth
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. ground — a position
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. spell — a short time
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. spell — magic
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — a coil
  16. ground — crushed
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. kid — child
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. kid — to tease
  21. perch — the fish
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. spell — letters
  24. spring — of water

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