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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: lean · last · coach · spring · degree · track · net · bay

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — to bend
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — after costs
  6. spring — a coil
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. last — finally
  13. track — to keep track
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — final
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. degree — from a university
  18. spring — the season
  19. lean — thin
  20. track — a song
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. net — in sport
  23. degree — an amount
  24. spring — of water

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