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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: firm · tear · nail · wind · club · hide · pop · track

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. track — a song
  3. pop — soda
  4. track — a path
  5. firm — a company
  6. pop — music
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. tear — from crying
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. track — to keep track
  11. club — for dancing
  12. tear — to rip
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. pop — to visit
  19. tear — from crying
  20. club — a group
  21. wind — moving air
  22. firm — steady
  23. firm — decided
  24. club — for golf

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