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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 116 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: field · bear · straw · mark · wax · charge · degree · track

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. track — a path
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bear — the animal
  6. track — to keep track
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. degree — an amount
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. field — a subject
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. charge — in control
  14. mark — a trace
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wax — to grow
  18. field — for sport
  19. mark — a grade
  20. degree — from a university
  21. track — a song
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. charge — a price
  24. degree — temperature

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