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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: wake · chip · hide · field · rock · coach · race · bound

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. chip — for betting
  4. field — farmland
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. chip — to eat
  7. wake — a trail
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. race — the arms race
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. field — for sport
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. race — humankind
  15. rock — a stone
  16. race — a contest
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — obliged
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. bound — certain
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. rock — music

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