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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: fork · bass · field · file · nail · date · fan · track

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a song
  4. file — a line of people
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. fork — in a road
  8. date — the fruit
  9. track — a path
  10. file — a tool
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. field — a subject
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — low music
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. file — a document
  24. nail — on a finger

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