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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 120 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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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: wound · nail · current · coach · straw · leaves · fall · track

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fall — to drop
  4. current — happening now
  5. wound — an injury
  6. track — a path
  7. fall — the season
  8. current — electric
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wound — an injury
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. track — a song
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. track — to keep track
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. current — of water

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