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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bark · racket · wound · track · board · field · present

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. board — a committee
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. field — for sport
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. wound — an injury
  13. field — a subject
  14. track — a song
  15. bark — to shout
  16. track — to keep track
  17. present — the time now
  18. field — farmland
  19. board — to get on
  20. present — there
  21. present — a gift
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. track — a path
  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