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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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468
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: toast · track · lie · mug · rash · field · land · spring

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. track — a path
  3. land — ground
  4. spring — of water
  5. mug — a face
  6. land — to come down
  7. rash — a series
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. field — farmland
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. toast — bread
  13. land — a country
  14. mug — to rob
  15. rash — hasty
  16. spring — a coil
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. mug — a cup
  19. spring — the season
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — a subject
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a song
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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