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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 · march · fan · dip · bank · cue · game · field

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. field — a subject
  4. march — music
  5. bank — for money
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cue — a signal
  8. track — to keep track
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. march — the month
  12. track — a song
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. game — wild animals
  17. field — farmland
  18. bank — for money
  19. game — a match
  20. dip — to sink
  21. march — the month
  22. track — a path
  23. field — for sport
  24. cue — a hint

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