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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cold · bound · field · mouse · track · can · rush · rock

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — an illness
  4. field — a subject
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — a stone
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. rush — hurry
  10. track — a song
  11. field — farmland
  12. can — a tin
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. field — for sport
  16. bound — obliged
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. track — a path
  19. can — a tin
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bound — tied together
  23. can — to be able to
  24. bound — certain

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