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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 · club · kick · spring · plane · field · fan · hand

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. spring — the season
  4. track — a path
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for golf
  7. field — for sport
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. spring — of water
  11. track — to keep track
  12. hand — help
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. spring — a coil
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. plane — a tool
  19. kick — in football
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — a subject
  23. hand — in cards
  24. track — a song

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