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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. field — a subject
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. lie — to recline
  5. last — final
  6. field — for sport
  7. bear — the animal
  8. last — finally
  9. race — the arms race
  10. last — to go on
  11. band — a music group
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. track — a song
  14. race — humankind
  15. field — farmland
  16. bear — the animal
  17. track — to keep track
  18. band — a ring
  19. race — a contest
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bank — for money
  24. track — a path

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