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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 120 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 · field · lash · bore · lie · key · mug · wake

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. wake — a trail
  3. track — a song
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. mug — a cup
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mug — a face
  8. bore — to tire
  9. field — farmland
  10. mug — to rob
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. track — a path
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. key — for a lock
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. field — for sport
  18. key — the most important part
  19. field — a subject
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. track — to keep track
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. key — in music

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