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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: spring · bulb · kid · craft · coach · mouse · key · ground

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. ground — crushed
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bulb — for light
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. ground — a position
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. bulb — for light
  14. ground — the earth
  15. key — in music
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. kid — child
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — a coil
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. spring — the season
  23. craft — a skill
  24. kid — to tease

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