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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: rush · spring · row · field · leaves · coach · rest · capital

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. spring — of water
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. capital — a city
  7. row — to paddle
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. spring — a coil
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. rest — what's left
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. field — a subject
  19. row — a line
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. spring — the season
  22. capital — money
  23. field — farmland
  24. leaves — lets stay

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