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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. tear — from crying
  3. field — for sport
  4. tear — from crying
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. tear — to rip
  9. field — farmland
  10. net — in sport
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. net — after costs
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. march — the month
  15. season — in sport
  16. track — a song
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — of the year
  19. bark — to shout
  20. field — a subject
  21. net — for catching
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. track — to keep track
  24. calf — of the leg

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