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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: coach · track · wound · lie · last · wake · dip · rash

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. track — a path
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wound — an injury
  8. track — a song
  9. wake — a trail
  10. last — finally
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. dip — to sink
  14. rash — hasty
  15. last — to go on
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. track — to keep track
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rash — a series
  21. lie — to recline
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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