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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: squash · rush · file · spring · bay · field · track · can

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. field — for sport
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. track — a song
  5. spring — the season
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. spring — of water
  9. squash — to crush
  10. track — to keep track
  11. spring — a coil
  12. track — a path
  13. field — a subject
  14. file — a tool
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. field — farmland
  17. can — to be able to
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. can — a tin
  23. file — a document
  24. can — a tin

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