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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 · lean · rash · hand · field · mug · patient · racket

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. hand — help
  4. field — for sport
  5. mug — a face
  6. track — a song
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — to rob
  9. field — farmland
  10. rash — hasty
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. lean — thin
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. rash — a series
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. track — to keep track
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. track — a path
  22. lean — to bend
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. hand — in cards

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