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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 · field · prune · toast · last · swing · ball · spell

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. toast — bread
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — in golf
  6. field — a subject
  7. swing — music
  8. field — for sport
  9. spell — letters
  10. track — a song
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. spell — a short time
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. prune — to trim
  18. field — farmland
  19. track — to keep track
  20. spell — magic
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. ball — a dance
  23. prune — to trim
  24. last — final

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