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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: mine · tube · board · track · coach · field · degree · capital

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. degree — temperature
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a committee
  6. track — a song
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — the underground
  9. track — to keep track
  10. field — a subject
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. track — a path
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — money
  21. field — farmland
  22. mine — for digging
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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