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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: coach · plane · scale · leaves · pound · cell · sharp · track

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — a weight
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. cell — in biology
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. scale — in music
  16. cell — a phone
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. track — a song
  19. sharp — clever
  20. plane — a tool
  21. scale — size or range
  22. track — a path
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. scale — for weighing

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