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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 120 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: wound · arm · rush · bear · board · bound · coach · field

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bound — obliged
  12. board — to get on
  13. wound — an injury
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. board — a committee
  16. bound — certain
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bound — tied together
  20. field — a subject
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bear — the animal
  24. arm — part of the body

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