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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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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: bound · land · last · tear · track · scale · hand · firm

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. bound — certain
  3. last — final
  4. last — finally
  5. land — a country
  6. hand — in cards
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — size or range
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. track — to keep track
  11. tear — from crying
  12. track — a song
  13. land — to come down
  14. tear — from crying
  15. land — ground
  16. firm — a company
  17. bound — tied together
  18. firm — decided
  19. hand — help
  20. track — a path
  21. firm — steady
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bound — obliged
  24. last — to go on

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