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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: wind · spell · stand · track · pitch · field · lean · rest

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. stand — to bear
  3. wind — moving air
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. spell — a short time
  7. pitch — completely
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. field — farmland
  15. track — a path
  16. spell — letters
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport
  19. rest — a break
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. track — to keep track
  23. spell — magic
  24. lean — thin

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