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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: ball · coach · spring · hide · net · date · club · stem

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. net — in sport
  3. ball — a great time
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. date — the fruit
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. club — for dancing
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. spring — of water
  12. club — a group
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. net — for catching
  15. spring — the season
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. ball — a dance
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. stem — to come from
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. net — after costs
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. club — for golf

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