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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: board · pass · coach · track · band · pound · bark · chest

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. track — to keep track
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. chest — a box
  10. board — a committee
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. band — a ring
  16. track — a song
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. track — a path
  21. board — to get on
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. band — a music group
  24. pass — to spend time

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