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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: wound · mark · coach · season · march · cap · nail · cue

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cue — a signal
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. cue — a hint
  6. season — in sport
  7. cap — of ice
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. cap — a hat
  12. mark — a trace
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. cap — a lid
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cue — for pool
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. season — of the year
  22. march — the month
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. mark — a grade

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