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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: content · sharp · coach · wound · lash · march · perch · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  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. season — of the year
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. sharp — clever
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. content — the amount
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. march — the month
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. content — happy
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. perch — the fish
  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