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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: field · mark · deal · coach · lie · pop · board · root

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pop — to visit
  3. root — of a word
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. board — a committee
  6. mark — a trace
  7. board — to get on
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. field — farmland
  10. lie — to recline
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — the cause
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. field — for sport
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — music
  22. mark — a grade
  23. deal — to handle
  24. field — a subject

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