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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: degree · wound · press · fine · bark · track · file · coach

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. wound — an injury
  3. press — a publisher
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. press — newspapers
  6. fine — high quality
  7. track — a song
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bark — to shout
  10. fine — all right
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. degree — from a university
  13. track — to keep track
  14. file — a document
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. degree — an amount
  17. press — to push
  18. track — a path
  19. degree — temperature
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. file — a line of people

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