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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 116 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 · track · rash · cold · hand · bear · leaves

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. cold — not warm
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. pop — soda
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bear — the animal
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. cold — an illness
  10. track — a song
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. rash — a series
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pop — music
  16. hand — help
  17. track — to keep track
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. rash — hasty
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. pop — to visit
  24. rash — on the skin

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