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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 · tube · coach · field · swing · key · wind · stand

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. key — for a lock
  3. wind — moving air
  4. key — the most important part
  5. stand — to bear
  6. spring — the season
  7. wind — moving air
  8. tube — a container
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. swing — in golf
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. key — in music
  14. spring — a coil
  15. field — for sport
  16. spring — of water
  17. swing — music
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — the underground
  23. swing — to play on
  24. field — farmland

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