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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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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: field · pound · ground · bank · rest · arm · fall · track

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. ground — the earth
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bank — for money
  9. rest — a break
  10. track — a song
  11. ground — a position
  12. bank — for money
  13. field — farmland
  14. pound — a weight
  15. ground — crushed
  16. fall — the season
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. rest — what's left
  23. track — a path
  24. rest — what's left

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