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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: rock · spring · date · march · coach · bay · racket · pop

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. march — the month
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. march — music
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. spring — a coil
  8. march — the month
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. pop — soda
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. rock — a stone
  19. pop — music
  20. rock — music
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — the fruit
  23. spring — of water
  24. date — on the calendar

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