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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: field · straw · spring · club · fall · bass · roll · track

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. spring — of water
  4. club — a group
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. track — to keep track
  7. spring — the season
  8. field — a subject
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bass — low music
  13. track — a song
  14. field — farmland
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bass — the fish
  17. club — for golf
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. fall — to drop
  20. roll — a cake
  21. club — for dancing
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. roll — a list
  24. track — a path

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