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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: rash · mark · dip · field · pitcher · wind · chest · fork

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. dip — to sink
  3. field — farmland
  4. chest — a box
  5. rash — a series
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. wind — moving air
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rash — hasty
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a trace
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. mark — a grade
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. fork — in a road
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. field — a subject

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