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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 120 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: foot · can · stick · wound · squash · pass · tear · track

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. track — to keep track
  4. can — a tin
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. wound — an injury
  7. tear — from crying
  8. can — to be able to
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. track — a song
  12. tear — to rip
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — the sport
  16. can — a tin
  17. pass — a permit
  18. foot — a measure
  19. track — a path
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. squash — to crush
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wound — an injury

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