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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: ground · leaves · mark · bear · date · coach · stock · key

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bear — the animal
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. ground — crushed
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. stock — goods
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bear — the animal
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. mark — a grade
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. key — for a lock
  19. date — the fruit
  20. key — in music
  21. key — the most important part
  22. ground — a position
  23. stock — shares
  24. coach — a trainer

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