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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ball · season · vault · bark · coach · bass · land · mug

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. land — ground
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. season — of the year
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — to rob
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — a country
  11. vault — a safe
  12. season — in sport
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mug — a face
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — low music
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bark — to shout
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. season — to add flavour

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