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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: race · scale · field · wave · bark · coach · lie · drill

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. field — a subject
  4. race — humankind
  5. scale — in music
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. field — farmland
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. drill — a practice
  12. lie — to recline
  13. drill — army training
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. field — for sport
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. drill — the tool
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. scale — size or range
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — the arms race

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