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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: coach · bark · cue · snap · field · branch · game · key

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. field — a subject
  3. game — wild animals
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. field — for sport
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bark — to shout
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. cue — a signal
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. field — farmland
  12. branch — a division
  13. key — the most important part
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. game — a match
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. key — for a lock
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cue — for pool
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. cue — a hint
  24. snap — to click

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