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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: lie · coach · swing · season · track · leaves · calf · field

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — for sport
  4. lie — to recline
  5. track — a path
  6. season — of the year
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. swing — to play on
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. field — farmland
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. track — to keep track
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. track — a song
  18. season — in sport
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. swing — in golf
  21. swing — music
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — a young animal

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