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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: bear · field · bore · staff · track · spell · snap · row

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. track — to keep track
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — to paddle
  9. field — farmland
  10. staff — employees
  11. row — a line
  12. spell — a short time
  13. snap — to click
  14. track — a path
  15. spell — magic
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bore — to tire
  18. spell — letters
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. track — a song
  24. staff — employees

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