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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 · lie · leaves · staff · season · swing · cabinet · coach

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. staff — a stick
  3. season — of the year
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. swing — in golf
  7. lie — to recline
  8. staff — employees
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. swing — music
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. spring — a coil
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. staff — employees
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. season — in sport
  18. spring — of water
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. swing — to play on
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. season — to add flavour

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