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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 116 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. kid — to tease
  3. tear — from crying
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. tube — a container
  6. tear — from crying
  7. track — a song
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. tube — the underground
  10. craft — a skill
  11. fine — high quality
  12. tear — to rip
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — child
  15. pass — a permit
  16. fine — all right
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. craft — boats
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. track — to keep track
  24. fine — a penalty

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