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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: file · track · deal · wave · trunk · field · mine · bear

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. field — a subject
  7. track — a path
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. file — a document
  11. mine — for digging
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. bear — the animal
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. track — a song
  17. field — farmland
  18. file — a tool
  19. deal — to handle
  20. file — a line of people
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bear — the animal

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