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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: lie · coach · cell · squash · land · spring · tube · scale

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. land — a country
  3. cell — a phone
  4. land — to come down
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. land — ground
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — the underground
  9. scale — size or range
  10. squash — the sport
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cell — in biology
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. squash — to crush
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. scale — in music
  20. spring — of water
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. spring — a coil
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. spring — the season

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