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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 120 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: leaves · ball · track · wound · snap · chair · land · coach

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. land — to come down
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. chair — a leader
  8. track — to keep track
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. wound — an injury
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. land — a country
  14. ball — a great time
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. ball — a dance
  17. track — a song
  18. land — ground
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. track — a path
  24. wound — an injury

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