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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: land · march · dip · coach · spell · bark · nail · field

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. land — a country
  4. field — for sport
  5. march — music
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. spell — magic
  11. march — the month
  12. field — a subject
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. march — the month
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. dip — to sink
  20. spell — letters
  21. bark — to shout
  22. land — ground
  23. field — farmland
  24. land — to come down

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