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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 120 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: nail · track · wound · stick · ground · file · season · spring

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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 path
  3. file — a document
  4. ground — crushed
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wound — an injury
  9. spring — a coil
  10. file — a line of people
  11. spring — the season
  12. season — in sport
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. spring — of water
  15. ground — the earth
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. file — a tool
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. ground — a position
  20. wound — an injury
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. season — of the year
  24. track — a song

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