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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. track — to keep track
  3. rest — what's left
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bank — for money
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — farmland
  8. rush — hurry
  9. track — a path
  10. bank — for money
  11. rest — a break
  12. drill — the tool
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rest — what's left
  17. track — a song
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. drill — army training
  20. bank — of a river
  21. drill — a practice
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  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