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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bound — certain
  3. can — to be able to
  4. field — farmland
  5. spring — the season
  6. track — a song
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bank — of a river
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a path
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — for money
  14. bound — tied together
  15. rock — music
  16. spring — a coil
  17. rock — a stone
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. field — a subject
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. spring — of water

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