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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: game · press · coach · stock · scale · track · fan · bark

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — shares
  6. game — a match
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. track — a song
  10. track — a path
  11. scale — size or range
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bark — to shout
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — to push
  18. stock — goods
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. scale — in music
  24. track — to keep track

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