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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 · bulb · bat · rock · arm · ruler · field · straw

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. track — a path
  4. bulb — for light
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bat — the animal
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. rock — music
  11. bulb — for light
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — for sport
  23. track — a song
  24. rock — a stone

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