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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: present · wound · field · track · clip · land · lie · mark

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. clip — for paper
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. present — a gift
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — a subject
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. track — a path
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. present — the time now
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. track — to keep track
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. clip — a video
  16. mark — a trace
  17. wound — an injury
  18. clip — to cut
  19. lie — to recline
  20. present — there
  21. mark — a grade
  22. track — a song
  23. wound — an injury
  24. land — ground

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