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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
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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 · kid · clip · rock · stock · field · wave · cabinet

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. field — farmland
  3. rock — a stone
  4. clip — a video
  5. track — to keep track
  6. rock — music
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — shares
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stock — goods
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. field — a subject
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. kid — to tease
  16. track — a song
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. clip — to cut
  19. field — for sport
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. kid — child
  24. clip — for paper

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