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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: net · bass · coach · key · spring · cap · mine · leaves

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bass — low music
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. net — in sport
  6. cap — of ice
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. spring — of water
  9. net — for catching
  10. cap — a hat
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — the most important part
  14. spring — a coil
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bass — the fish
  19. cap — a lid
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. spring — the season
  24. net — after costs

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