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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 120 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: coach · mug · rest · mouse · spring · pop · wind · shower

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. spring — a coil
  4. wind — moving air
  5. spring — the season
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mug — to rob
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rest — what's left
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. shower — to wash
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. spring — of water
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — a cup
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. pop — soda
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. pop — to visit
  24. shower — rain

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