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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: coach · foot · fall · rush · wound · nail · roll · track

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — a measure
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a path
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. fall — to drop
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — hurry
  20. roll — a cake
  21. track — a song
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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