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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 · perch · tear · tube · field · ground · dip · can

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. dip — to sink
  3. can — to be able to
  4. field — farmland
  5. tube — a container
  6. track — to keep track
  7. ground — crushed
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tube — the underground
  13. can — a tin
  14. track — a path
  15. tear — to rip
  16. track — a song
  17. can — a tin
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — for sport
  20. tear — from crying
  21. perch — the fish
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. ground — the earth
  24. perch — for a bird

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