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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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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: bank · pound · rock · chest · track · field · wave · trunk

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. track — a song
  5. pound — a weight
  6. field — farmland
  7. chest — of your body
  8. field — for sport
  9. track — to keep track
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. chest — a box
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. rock — music
  16. bank — for money
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. field — a subject
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. track — a path
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. rock — a stone
  24. bank — of a river

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