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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bank — of a river
  6. track — to keep track
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. field — for sport
  9. wake — a trail
  10. squash — to crush
  11. current — happening now
  12. bank — for money
  13. field — farmland
  14. bank — for money
  15. current — electric
  16. drill — a practice
  17. squash — the sport
  18. track — a song
  19. track — a path
  20. current — of water
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. wake — before a funeral

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