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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.

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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 · foot · straw · club · wave · field · cue · bear

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. cue — a signal
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — farmland
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. foot — a measure
  10. track — a song
  11. club — for golf
  12. track — to keep track
  13. field — for sport
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — for pool
  16. bear — the animal
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. club — for dancing
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. bear — the animal
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. club — a group
  24. wave — of the sea

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