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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: bound · key · chip · lash · spring · cold · coach · stock

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. key — in music
  3. cold — an illness
  4. bound — tied together
  5. spring — the season
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. stock — goods
  8. chip — to eat
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — a coil
  11. stock — shares
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bound — obliged
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — the most important part
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. chip — for betting

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