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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. face — part of the head
  5. track — a song
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. tear — from crying
  8. face — to point toward
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — of a river
  12. face — to confront
  13. bulb — for light
  14. file — a document
  15. bulb — for light
  16. spring — of water
  17. track — a path
  18. file — a tool
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — hurry
  21. spring — the season
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bank — for money
  24. rush — to hurry

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