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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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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: bear · rush · field · track · dip · ground

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. dip — to sink
  7. track — a song
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bear — the animal
  11. ground — the earth
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a path
  14. rush — hurry
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. ground — a position

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