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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.

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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: rock · coach · bass · field · race · branch · pop · bore

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. branch — a division
  4. bass — low music
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — a subject
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. field — for sport
  12. pop — to visit
  13. race — humankind
  14. bore — to tire
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — music
  17. bass — the fish
  18. rock — music
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. rock — a stone
  24. bore — to drill

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