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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: present · tear · ground · rock · pop · track · cell · bear

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. pop — music
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pop — to visit
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pop — soda
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. present — a gift
  10. rock — music
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. track — a song
  13. tear — to rip
  14. track — a path
  15. present — there
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cell — in biology
  19. ground — a position
  20. cell — a phone
  21. ground — crushed
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bear — the animal
  24. track — to keep track

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