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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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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: bass · staff · field · rash · bound · arm · ruler · track

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bound — certain
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — obliged
  8. field — a subject
  9. staff — a stick
  10. field — for sport
  11. bass — low music
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. staff — employees
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. rash — a series
  16. track — a song
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. staff — employees
  21. track — a path
  22. bass — the fish
  23. field — farmland
  24. ruler — for measuring

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