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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
468
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 · straw · branch · cap · coach · key · mate · mouse

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. key — in music
  3. key — the most important part
  4. mate — to breed
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — of ice
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. cap — a lid
  15. mate — a partner
  16. key — for a lock
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — of water
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — a division
  24. spring — a coil

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