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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — to keep track
  3. tear — to rip
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. wound — an injury
  6. vault — a safe
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. pop — to visit
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. craft — boats
  14. pop — soda
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. pop — music
  17. lean — to bend
  18. craft — a skill
  19. track — a song
  20. lean — thin
  21. tear — from crying
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. tear — from crying
  24. craft — a handicraft

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