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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: court · coach · degree · spring · fan · staff · snap · current

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. current — happening now
  4. degree — from a university
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. staff — a stick
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. degree — temperature
  9. current — of water
  10. staff — employees
  11. spring — a coil
  12. court — of law
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. degree — an amount
  15. court — of a king
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. court — for sport
  18. staff — employees
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. spring — the season
  21. current — electric
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. snap — to click
  24. fan — to cool the air

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