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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 116 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. mug — a cup
  4. season — in sport
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. season — of the year
  7. stem — to come from
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. mug — a face
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a trace
  12. ball — a dance
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. mug — to rob
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wax — to grow
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. ball — a great time
  24. mark — a grade

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