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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 · coach · band · land · foot · plane · kid · charge

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. spring — of water
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. kid — to tease
  6. land — ground
  7. band — a ring
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. plane — a tool
  11. charge — a price
  12. band — a music group
  13. charge — in control
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. foot — a measure
  18. land — to come down
  19. kid — child
  20. land — a country
  21. spring — the season
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. charge — electricity
  24. spring — a coil

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