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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: foot · mate · mine · content · coach · lean · track · wake

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mate — a friend
  4. wake — a trail
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. content — the amount
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mate — to breed
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. track — a song
  15. lean — thin
  16. content — happy
  17. lean — to bend
  18. track — to keep track
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. track — a path
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. foot — a measure
  24. mate — a partner

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