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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: spring · fall · pitch · racket · wound · face · coach · bay

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. spring — the season
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. fall — the season
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. spring — of water
  12. face — to point toward
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wound — an injury
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — part of the head
  20. pitch — completely
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. racket — a loud noise

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