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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: snap · coach · capital · wake · face · tear · season · track

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. track — a song
  3. tear — from crying
  4. track — a path
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. capital — a city
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. tear — to rip
  10. face — to point toward
  11. capital — money
  12. wake — a trail
  13. face — to confront
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. season — in sport
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. snap — to click
  18. track — to keep track
  19. season — of the year
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. tear — from crying
  24. capital — a big letter

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