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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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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: sharp · coach · leaves · ground · dip · lean · net · club

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. lean — to bend
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. net — in sport
  9. club — for golf
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. club — a group
  12. net — for catching
  13. ground — the earth
  14. lean — thin
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. ground — a position
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. net — after costs
  20. club — for dancing
  21. ground — crushed
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. dip — to sink

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