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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. stand — to bear
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. tear — from crying
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. tear — to rip
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. track — to keep track
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. track — a path
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wake — a trail
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. wound — an injury

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