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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: nail · season · jam · fall · wake · file · land · coach

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. season — of the year
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. file — a line of people
  7. land — to come down
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. file — a document
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. land — a country
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. fall — to drop
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. file — a tool
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. season — in sport
  24. land — ground

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