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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 120 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: hide · field · net · track · saw · spell · pound · arm

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. field — farmland
  4. net — in sport
  5. track — to keep track
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. field — for sport
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — a short time
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pound — a weight
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. net — for catching
  18. track — a song
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. field — a subject
  21. spell — letters
  22. net — after costs
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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