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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 · court · pitcher · bank · field · rash · wake · object

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. track — a song
  3. court — of a king
  4. object — an aim
  5. bank — of a river
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rash — hasty
  8. court — for sport
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bank — for money
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. field — for sport
  13. track — a path
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. object — to protest
  17. track — to keep track
  18. rash — a series
  19. field — farmland
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. court — of law
  22. field — a subject
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. object — a thing

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