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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: land · wake · suit · sharp · lash · march · can · coach

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. can — to be able to
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. march — music
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. land — a country
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. march — the month
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wake — a trail
  14. can — a tin
  15. march — the month
  16. suit — clothes
  17. can — a tin
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. suit — to fit
  21. land — to come down
  22. suit — in cards
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — with an edge

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