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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. track — a path
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. key — for a lock
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. track — a song
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bank — of a river
  13. spring — a coil
  14. track — to keep track
  15. can — a tin
  16. key — in music
  17. bank — for money
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — the season
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bank — for money
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — lets stay

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