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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: court · bank · field · mug · clip · coach · track · bark

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. field — a subject
  3. track — to keep track
  4. court — of a king
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bark — to shout
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bank — for money
  10. field — for sport
  11. mug — a face
  12. field — farmland
  13. mug — to rob
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. track — a song
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. clip — a video
  18. bank — for money
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of law
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. bank — of a river
  24. track — a path

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