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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 · bear · lie · field · rest · file · toast · row

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. row — a line
  3. lie — to recline
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. field — a subject
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. field — for sport
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. row — to paddle
  12. file — a document
  13. field — farmland
  14. file — a line of people
  15. track — a song
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. track — to keep track
  19. rest — what's left
  20. track — a path
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. toast — bread
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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