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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: stick · field · lie · track · swing · mouse · band · spring

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. track — a path
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. swing — to play on
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. swing — in golf
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. band — a music group
  13. lie — to recline
  14. track — to keep track
  15. field — for sport
  16. spring — a coil
  17. field — farmland
  18. band — a ring
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. track — a song
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. field — a subject

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