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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: foot · lash · track · wound · field · cabinet · charge · rest

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wound — an injury
  4. field — for sport
  5. rest — a break
  6. charge — a price
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. track — a song
  9. track — a path
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. rest — what's left
  12. field — a subject
  13. foot — a measure
  14. wound — an injury
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. charge — in control
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. charge — electricity
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. track — to keep track

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