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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · tear · cell · track · drill · staff · roll · saw

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. saw — the tool
  3. staff — a stick
  4. cell — a phone
  5. drill — army training
  6. roll — a cake
  7. cell — in biology
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. field — for sport
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. tear — from crying
  14. saw — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. track — a path
  17. track — a song
  18. drill — the tool
  19. track — to keep track
  20. field — a subject
  21. roll — a list
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. roll — on a roll

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