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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: key · club · coach · lash · field · stick · leaves · foot

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. foot — a measure
  7. club — for dancing
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — the most important part
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. field — a subject
  16. key — in music
  17. club — a group
  18. club — for golf
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — farmland
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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