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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: land · wind · track · mark · field · patient · current · bass

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mark — a grade
  4. wind — moving air
  5. current — of water
  6. current — happening now
  7. track — to keep track
  8. mark — a trace
  9. field — a subject
  10. land — ground
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bass — the fish
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. land — to come down
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — for sport
  17. bass — low music
  18. land — a country
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. track — a path
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. current — electric
  24. wind — moving air

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