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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · field · cold · mug · perch · kid · plane · lash

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. track — a song
  7. mug — a cup
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. track — to keep track
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. mug — to rob
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. field — a subject
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — a tool
  16. mug — a face
  17. cold — not warm
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. cold — an illness
  21. kid — to tease
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. kid — child

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