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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 · wind · rush · spring · field · mark · row · wave

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. row — a line
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. mark — a grade
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. field — for sport
  8. spring — the season
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. track — a path
  11. rush — hurry
  12. track — to keep track
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. track — a song
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wind — moving air
  18. field — a subject
  19. spring — a coil
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. mark — a trace
  22. row — to paddle
  23. field — farmland
  24. wind — moving air

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