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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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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: toast · calf · spring · band · rest · tear · track · row

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. toast — bread
  4. row — to paddle
  5. rest — what's left
  6. track — to keep track
  7. spring — a coil
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. tear — from crying
  12. track — a song
  13. row — a line
  14. spring — the season
  15. track — a path
  16. rest — a break
  17. band — a music group
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. band — a ring
  20. spring — of water
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rest — what's left
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — a young animal

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