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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: track · craft · race · lie · field · shower

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. track — to keep track
  3. lie — to recline
  4. craft — a skill
  5. race — a contest
  6. craft — boats
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. shower — rain
  9. race — humankind
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. track — a path
  12. shower — to wash
  13. field — a subject
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. track — a song
  16. field — farmland
  17. race — the arms race
  18. field — for sport

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