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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 116 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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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: bay · drill · stock · firm · field · pound · track · spring

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. drill — the tool
  6. track — to keep track
  7. drill — a practice
  8. track — a song
  9. spring — of water
  10. stock — shares
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. drill — army training
  13. firm — decided
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. spring — the season
  16. stock — goods
  17. track — a path
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. pound — a weight
  20. firm — steady
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. field — farmland
  23. firm — a company
  24. pound — for dogs

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