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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: bay · coach · suit · shower · racket · spring · roll · saw

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. shower — to wash
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. roll — a cake
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. suit — in cards
  9. roll — a list
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. spring — the season
  12. suit — clothes
  13. shower — rain
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. saw — the tool
  17. spring — a coil
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. spring — of water
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. suit — to fit
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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