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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: stem · track · field · lash · band · bound · board · tear

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bound — tied together
  3. tear — to rip
  4. band — a ring
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. tear — from crying
  8. field — for sport
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bound — certain
  11. board — to get on
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. field — a subject
  14. bound — obliged
  15. field — farmland
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. tear — from crying
  20. band — a music group
  21. board — a committee
  22. track — a path
  23. stem — to come from
  24. track — a song

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