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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lash · land · rock · fall · track · hand · dip · tear

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. tear — from crying
  3. fall — the season
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. rock — music
  6. land — ground
  7. tear — to rip
  8. hand — help
  9. track — to keep track
  10. fall — to drop
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. land — a country
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. rock — a stone
  17. hand — in cards
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. tear — from crying
  21. track — a path
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. fall — to drop
  24. land — to come down

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