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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: swing · mine · spell · net · coach · track · plane · rash

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. mine — for digging
  3. spell — a short time
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. swing — to play on
  6. plane — a tool
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. track — a song
  9. track — a path
  10. spell — magic
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. swing — music
  13. net — after costs
  14. rash — hasty
  15. swing — in golf
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. track — to keep track
  20. spell — letters
  21. net — in sport
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. rash — a series

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