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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: net · bore · coach · court · face · track · prune · stand

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. face — to point toward
  3. track — a path
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. track — a song
  8. prune — to trim
  9. net — after costs
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to drill
  14. face — part of the head
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stand — to bear
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bore — to tire
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. net — for catching
  21. face — to confront
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. court — of law
  24. track — to keep track

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