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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · dip · coach · ball · squash · pound · rush · field

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. spring — of water
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. spring — a coil
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. spring — the season
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. field — a subject
  10. dip — to sink
  11. pound — a weight
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. ball — a great time
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. field — farmland
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rush — hurry
  19. squash — the sport
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. ball — a dance
  22. field — for sport
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pound — for dogs

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