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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: club · wind · track · nail · field · stem · wake · lean

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. field — farmland
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. lean — to bend
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. track — a song
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — a group
  10. track — to keep track
  11. stem — to come from
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. track — a path
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — for sport
  22. club — for dancing
  23. wake — a trail
  24. nail — for a hammer

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