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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: tube · coach · hide · march · bark · hand · field · pass

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. field — for sport
  3. march — the month
  4. hand — help
  5. pass — a permit
  6. march — the month
  7. bark — to shout
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. tube — a container
  10. march — music
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. field — farmland
  14. tube — the underground
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. field — a subject
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. hand — in cards
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  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