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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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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: snap · wake · track · toast · field · tube · bound · shower

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. field — farmland
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. field — for sport
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. snap — to click
  9. track — a path
  10. field — a subject
  11. shower — to wash
  12. tube — a container
  13. bound — obliged
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bound — certain
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. tube — the underground
  20. track — a song
  21. toast — bread
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. track — to keep track
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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