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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 · bore · land · rush · bank · object · last · tear

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. last — to go on
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bank — for money
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. object — an aim
  11. last — final
  12. tear — to rip
  13. land — a country
  14. track — a song
  15. last — finally
  16. object — a thing
  17. tear — from crying
  18. land — ground
  19. track — a path
  20. object — to protest
  21. bank — of a river
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bank — for money
  24. land — to come down

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