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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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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: pop · wind · coach · rock · mine · fine

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fine — high quality
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — all right
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. pop — soda
  10. rock — music
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mine — for digging
  13. pop — to visit
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pop — music
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. rock — a stone

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