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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.

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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: hand · object · cell · stand · rash · spring · coach · bark

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. hand — in cards
  3. spring — the season
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. cell — in biology
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rash — a series
  9. cell — a phone
  10. object — an aim
  11. bark — to shout
  12. object — to protest
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. object — a thing
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. stand — to bear
  22. rash — hasty
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bark — of a tree

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