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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 116 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: season · coach · can · mark · pass · bark · leaves · sharp

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. can — a tin
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. mark — a grade
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. can — to be able to
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. mark — a trace
  18. season — of the year
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. pass — a permit
  21. bark — to shout
  22. season — in sport
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. can — a tin

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