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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 · pound · field · shower · season · bear · stem · race

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a song
  4. race — the arms race
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. shower — to wash
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — for sport
  13. race — humankind
  14. shower — rain
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. race — a contest
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — of the year
  22. track — a path
  23. bear — the animal
  24. field — farmland

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