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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.

Words on the sheet
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: fall · track · straw · patient · field · perch · object · wax

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. fall — to drop
  5. object — a thing
  6. field — a subject
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. perch — the fish
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. object — to protest
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. field — for sport
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wax — to grow
  17. field — farmland
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. track — a path
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. object — an aim
  23. fall — the season
  24. wax — in the ear

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