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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: track · wake · coach · pitch · court · tube · prune · stand

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. prune — to trim
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. court — of law
  5. track — a path
  6. tube — the underground
  7. track — a song
  8. tube — a container
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. court — for sport
  13. pitch — completely
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. prune — to trim
  16. stand — to bear
  17. track — to keep track
  18. court — of a king
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. wake — a trail
  24. pitch — a sports field

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