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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: pop · coach · wind · mate · bulb · mine · pitch · file

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — music
  6. mate — to breed
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mate — a friend
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. mine — for digging
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pitch — completely
  15. bulb — for light
  16. file — a line of people
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. file — a document
  20. mate — a partner
  21. file — a tool
  22. pop — to visit
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. mine — belonging to me

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