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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: coach · can · rock · chip · wake · land · file · season

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — a trail
  4. can — a tin
  5. file — a tool
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rock — music
  9. chip — to eat
  10. can — to be able to
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. can — a tin
  13. chip — for betting
  14. land — a country
  15. land — ground
  16. season — of the year
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. file — a line of people
  19. season — in sport
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. rock — a stone
  22. file — a document
  23. land — to come down
  24. season — to add flavour

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