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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: dip · track · rest · bound · stem · fan · shower · field

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. stem — to come from
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — certain
  7. field — for sport
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. shower — to wash
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rest — what's left
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. field — a subject
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. track — a path
  21. rest — a break
  22. track — a song
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. field — farmland

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