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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 120 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: track · cap · coach · present · bark · stock · rash · lean

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. track — a song
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. track — to keep track
  6. cap — a lid
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. present — the time now
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. cap — of ice
  14. present — there
  15. rash — a series
  16. bark — to shout
  17. track — a path
  18. cap — a hat
  19. stock — goods
  20. lean — to bend
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. rash — hasty
  23. stock — shares
  24. coach — a trainer

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