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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: season · coach · root · craft · track · chest · roll · bark

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. track — a path
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a song
  6. craft — a skill
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bark — to shout
  9. root — of a plant
  10. chest — a box
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. root — of a word
  14. craft — boats
  15. root — the cause
  16. roll — a cake
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. roll — a list
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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