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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
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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: stick · pop · board · spring · tear · toast · track · roll

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. pop — music
  3. track — a song
  4. board — a committee
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. pop — soda
  7. track — a path
  8. board — to get on
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pop — to visit
  11. tear — to rip
  12. spring — of water
  13. roll — a list
  14. spring — a coil
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. roll — a cake
  18. track — to keep track
  19. toast — bread
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. tear — from crying
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. tear — from crying
  24. spring — the season

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