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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: mouse · rush · last · band · wake · field · fall · track

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. track — a song
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. track — a path
  8. last — finally
  9. rush — hurry
  10. band — a music group
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. track — to keep track
  13. fall — to drop
  14. field — for sport
  15. fall — the season
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. field — a subject
  18. wake — a trail
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. band — a ring
  22. field — farmland
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. wake — before a funeral

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