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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 · cabinet · field · straw · row · leaves · pop · ball

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. pop — to visit
  3. track — a song
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — music
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. row — to paddle
  11. field — farmland
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. ball — a great time
  14. field — for sport
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — a line
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. track — a path
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. ball — a dance
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. field — a subject
  24. track — to keep track

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