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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · track · spell · coach · mine · mouse · season · bark

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. key — in music
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bark — to shout
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. key — the most important part
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. season — of the year
  13. spell — a short time
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a path
  16. season — in sport
  17. track — a song
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. spell — magic
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. spell — letters
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. mouse — the animal

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