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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: track · fork · tear · squash · pop · chair · wound · pass

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. squash — the sport
  3. track — a song
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pop — soda
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. fork — in a road
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — a leader
  13. squash — to crush
  14. track — to keep track
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pop — music
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pop — to visit
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. track — a path

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