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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: file · field · track · spring · board · arm · nail · suit

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. track — a song
  5. spring — the season
  6. suit — to fit
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. field — for sport
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — a committee
  11. track — to keep track
  12. board — to get on
  13. suit — clothes
  14. track — a path
  15. spring — of water
  16. suit — in cards
  17. field — farmland
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. field — a subject
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a line of people
  23. spring — a coil
  24. nail — for a hammer

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