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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 116 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: craft · firm · lie · tear · cold · mate · track · clip

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. tear — from crying
  3. craft — boats
  4. lie — to recline
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mate — to breed
  7. track — to keep track
  8. cold — not warm
  9. craft — a skill
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. firm — steady
  12. track — a path
  13. clip — to cut
  14. firm — decided
  15. tear — to rip
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. firm — a company
  19. clip — for paper
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. clip — a video
  22. mate — a partner
  23. cold — an illness
  24. mate — a friend

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