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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.

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: perch · wound · cell · march · dip · track · field · rock

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. rock — a stone
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. rock — music
  5. dip — to sink
  6. march — the month
  7. track — a path
  8. perch — the fish
  9. field — farmland
  10. wound — an injury
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — for sport
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — a phone
  18. march — the month
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. track — to keep track
  21. wound — an injury
  22. march — music
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. rock — to move gently

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