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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: track · lash · saw · spell · field · pop · patient · date

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. date — the fruit
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. field — for sport
  7. track — a song
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. spell — letters
  11. track — a path
  12. spell — magic
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — farmland
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pop — to visit
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. lash — an eyelash

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