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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: race · fine · bank · rock · field · season · file · pound

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bank — for money
  7. race — a contest
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — high quality
  10. season — in sport
  11. race — humankind
  12. rock — a stone
  13. field — farmland
  14. pound — a weight
  15. field — for sport
  16. season — of the year
  17. field — a subject
  18. file — a tool
  19. bank — for money
  20. rock — music
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bank — of a river
  24. race — the arms race

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