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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: saw · wound · wind · charge · track · scale · field · rush

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. scale — size or range
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wound — an injury
  8. saw — the tool
  9. track — a song
  10. field — farmland
  11. charge — a price
  12. scale — in music
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. field — for sport
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. rush — hurry
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. track — to keep track
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. track — a path
  22. wound — an injury
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — in control

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