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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
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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 · leaves · dip · track · stock · net · wax · scale

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. track — a path
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. net — after costs
  8. track — to keep track
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. stock — shares
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. dip — to sink
  13. scale — size or range
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. stock — goods
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — to grow
  20. track — a song
  21. scale — in music
  22. net — for catching
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. dip — to dunk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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