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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: rule · wind · board · field · coach · root · chest · fine

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wind — moving air
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wind — moving air
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. root — of a plant
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. rule — government
  14. root — the cause
  15. fine — high quality
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — for sport
  18. fine — all right
  19. board — a committee
  20. field — farmland
  21. chest — of your body
  22. root — of a word
  23. board — to get on
  24. rule — a law

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