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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: chest · can · craft · wake · coach · tube · spring · bass

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bass — low music
  5. spring — a coil
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a skill
  8. chest — of your body
  9. can — to be able to
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. chest — a box
  15. spring — of water
  16. can — a tin
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. chest — of your body
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. tube — the underground
  23. can — a tin
  24. wake — a trail

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