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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 · file · pop · firm · straw · field · rush · tear

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. track — a path
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a document
  10. pop — to visit
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pop — soda
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. file — a line of people
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. firm — decided
  17. firm — steady
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. field — farmland
  20. track — a song
  21. firm — a company
  22. track — to keep track
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — for sport

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