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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: rock · track · saw · toast · craft · cold · pound · staff

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. cold — an illness
  3. toast — bread
  4. track — to keep track
  5. cold — not warm
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. staff — employees
  10. saw — the tool
  11. staff — employees
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. track — a song
  15. rock — music
  16. craft — a skill
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. staff — a stick
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. pound — a weight
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rock — a stone
  24. craft — boats

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