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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 116 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: leaves · suit · tear · last · chip · ground · wind · track

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. last — finally
  3. tear — from crying
  4. ground — the earth
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. track — to keep track
  7. suit — clothes
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. tear — to rip
  10. ground — a position
  11. wind — moving air
  12. suit — in cards
  13. suit — to fit
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. last — to go on
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. track — a path
  20. ground — crushed
  21. chip — to eat
  22. track — a song
  23. chip — for betting
  24. last — final

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