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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: last · snap · stand · land · pop · mug · coach · object

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. land — a country
  4. last — to go on
  5. mug — to rob
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. land — to come down
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. mug — a cup
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — an aim
  13. pop — to visit
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. stand — to bear
  16. snap — to click
  17. object — to protest
  18. last — final
  19. last — finally
  20. mug — a face
  21. land — ground
  22. pop — soda
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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