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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: trunk · fork · mark · track · bass · coach · season · band

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. band — a music group
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. bass — the fish
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. season — of the year
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. season — in sport
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. band — a ring
  17. fork — in a road
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — a trace
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. track — a path
  23. bass — low music
  24. track — a song

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