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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 · can · hand · track · lean · wake · vault · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. can — a tin
  3. field — for sport
  4. lean — thin
  5. hand — in cards
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. can — a tin
  8. field — farmland
  9. track — to keep track
  10. wake — a trail
  11. season — of the year
  12. track — a song
  13. hand — help
  14. can — to be able to
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. track — a path
  20. season — in sport
  21. field — a subject
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. vault — a safe

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