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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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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: arm · ground · fall · coach · pitcher · track · bark · leaves

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bark — to shout
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. track — a song
  9. track — to keep track
  10. fall — the season
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. ground — crushed
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. ground — a position
  18. fall — to drop
  19. track — a path
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. leaves — of a tree

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