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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. band — a ring
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. mark — a trace
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. perch — the fish
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. track — to keep track
  12. row — to paddle
  13. mark — a grade
  14. row — a line
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. spring — a coil
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. track — a song
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. track — a path
  24. coach — a trainer

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