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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: arm · mark · field · can · pop · track · straw · rest

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. rest — what's left
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. rest — what's left
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. can — to be able to
  8. mark — a trace
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — farmland
  11. track — a song
  12. mark — a grade
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. can — a tin
  15. pop — music
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. can — a tin
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pop — to visit
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. pop — soda
  22. track — to keep track
  23. field — for sport
  24. rest — a break

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