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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: track · tear · wound · bulb · rule · stand · mug · craft

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mug — a cup
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rule — a law
  7. track — to keep track
  8. craft — a skill
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — to rob
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. craft — boats
  14. wound — an injury
  15. track — a song
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. bulb — for light
  20. tear — to rip
  21. rule — government
  22. stand — to bear
  23. track — a path
  24. tear — from crying

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