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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 · pitch · saw · cold · bound · trunk · tear · stock

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. saw — the tool
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. track — a song
  6. bound — certain
  7. saw — the tool
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bound — tied together
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. cold — not warm
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. stock — shares
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. pitch — completely
  17. track — a path
  18. bound — obliged
  19. stock — goods
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. cold — an illness
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. track — to keep track

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