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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 · rush · club · lean · field · nail · ground · fall

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. ground — crushed
  3. fall — to drop
  4. lean — to bend
  5. club — for golf
  6. track — a path
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. field — farmland
  10. lean — thin
  11. rush — hurry
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. track — to keep track
  14. club — a group
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. ground — the earth
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. field — for sport
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. club — for dancing
  23. field — a subject
  24. ground — a position

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