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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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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: season · coach · hand · root · wind · track · lean · firm

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — thin
  4. track — a path
  5. season — of the year
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. root — the cause
  8. track — to keep track
  9. firm — steady
  10. firm — decided
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. season — in sport
  14. hand — in cards
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. hand — help
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. root — of a plant
  20. firm — a company
  21. root — of a word
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. track — a song

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