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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
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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: mark · clip · field · lash · hide · track · tube · band

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. clip — a video
  5. field — for sport
  6. track — a path
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. field — farmland
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mark — a trace
  12. clip — to cut
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. track — a song
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. clip — for paper
  17. band — a ring
  18. field — a subject
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. tube — the underground
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. band — a music group

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