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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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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 · club · bass · spring · stand · coach · press · foot

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. club — a group
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. foot — a measure
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. stand — to bear
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bass — the fish
  13. spring — of water
  14. club — for golf
  15. track — a song
  16. press — a publisher
  17. spring — the season
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. spring — a coil
  21. track — a path
  22. club — for dancing
  23. press — to push
  24. track — to keep track

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