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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: track · ground · stem · tube · mate · bore · field · perch

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. stem — to come from
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bore — to tire
  5. mate — a friend
  6. perch — the fish
  7. ground — a position
  8. tube — the underground
  9. track — a path
  10. field — for sport
  11. ground — crushed
  12. track — a song
  13. ground — the earth
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. tube — a container
  16. field — a subject
  17. mate — a partner
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. mate — to breed
  21. field — farmland
  22. bore — to drill
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bore — gave birth

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