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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
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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 · capital · field · mouse · bark · leaves · plane · fine

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. track — to keep track
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. fine — all right
  8. field — farmland
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. field — for sport
  12. track — a path
  13. capital — a city
  14. capital — money
  15. fine — high quality
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. plane — a tool
  20. bark — to shout
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. field — a subject

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