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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: fall · foot · coach · mine · season · rock · club · pop

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pop — soda
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. club — for golf
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. season — of the year
  8. rock — a stone
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. rock — music
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. club — for dancing
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — a measure
  15. club — a group
  16. pop — music
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pop — to visit
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. season — in sport
  22. fall — to drop
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. mine — an explosive

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