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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: field · bass · lie · wave · track · mark · snap · fall

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. track — a path
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. fall — to drop
  7. field — for sport
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to click
  10. fall — the season
  11. field — farmland
  12. track — a song
  13. mark — a trace
  14. track — to keep track
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. lie — to recline
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. field — a subject
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. mark — a grade
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the fish

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