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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: degree · march · track · face · lean · bank · coach · bass

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bass — the fish
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. track — a song
  5. track — a path
  6. face — part of the head
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bank — for money
  10. degree — temperature
  11. march — the month
  12. bank — for money
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — to confront
  15. track — to keep track
  16. bass — low music
  17. lean — thin
  18. march — music
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. march — the month
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bank — of a river
  24. degree — from a university

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