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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: mate · wound · track · march · row · field · tube · mouse

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. field — farmland
  3. track — a path
  4. tube — the underground
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. tube — a container
  7. march — the month
  8. track — a song
  9. wound — an injury
  10. track — to keep track
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mate — a partner
  13. row — a line
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. field — for sport
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. march — music
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wound — an injury
  21. field — a subject
  22. mate — to breed
  23. march — the month
  24. mate — a friend

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