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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: coach · bear · firm · board · wake · ground · field · plane

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. board — a committee
  3. firm — a company
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. ground — a position
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. ground — crushed
  10. firm — steady
  11. field — farmland
  12. ground — the earth
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. field — for sport
  17. bear — the animal
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bear — the animal
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. board — to get on
  24. firm — decided

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