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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: track · ground · field · rest · coach · board · pitcher · tear

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. track — a path
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. board — a committee
  5. ground — crushed
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. rest — what's left
  8. tear — from crying
  9. track — to keep track
  10. rest — what's left
  11. ground — the earth
  12. track — a song
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. field — for sport
  16. board — to get on
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. tear — from crying
  21. ground — a position
  22. field — a subject
  23. rest — a break
  24. tear — to rip

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