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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: bear · coach · stick · leaves · pitcher · dip · ground · wake

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. dip — to sink
  14. wake — a trail
  15. ground — a position
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. ground — crushed

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