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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: can · toast · spring · wound · row · rule · track · last

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. last — finally
  3. spring — the season
  4. row — to paddle
  5. track — a path
  6. row — a line
  7. spring — a coil
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. track — a song
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. spring — of water
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rule — a law
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. track — to keep track
  18. wound — an injury
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — final
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. can — a tin
  23. toast — bread
  24. can — to be able to

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