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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: track · dip · tube · march · firm · lie · land · chest

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. march — music
  3. land — to come down
  4. tube — a container
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. firm — steady
  7. track — a song
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. march — the month
  10. dip — to sink
  11. firm — a company
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. land — a country
  15. chest — a box
  16. tube — the underground
  17. land — ground
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. march — the month
  21. firm — decided
  22. track — to keep track
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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