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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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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. object — to protest
  3. track — a path
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. file — a tool
  6. ball — a great time
  7. tear — from crying
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. file — a document
  11. band — a ring
  12. file — a line of people
  13. band — a music group
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. object — a thing
  17. bulb — for light
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. bulb — for light
  20. track — a song
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. object — an aim

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