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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 · jam · present · track · tear · leaves · snap · saw

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. rock — a stone
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. snap — to click
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. track — to keep track
  11. present — a gift
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. track — a song
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. present — the time now
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. saw — the tool
  20. tear — from crying
  21. present — there
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rock — music
  24. leaves — lets stay

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