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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 116 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: track · season · leaves · pound · nail · last · rock · coach

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. season — in sport
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. last — final
  7. rock — music
  8. last — to go on
  9. rock — a stone
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. season — of the year
  13. track — to keep track
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. track — a path
  17. pound — a weight
  18. last — finally
  19. track — a song
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. nail — for a hammer

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