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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: mine · lean · rest · tube · cap · date · track · coach

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  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. mine — for digging
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cap — of ice
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. track — to keep track
  7. date — the fruit
  8. track — a path
  9. rest — a break
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — a lid
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. tube — the underground
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lean — to bend
  17. tube — a container
  18. lean — thin
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. track — a song
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. date — on the calendar
  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