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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: kid · march · can · season · roll · foot · tear · track

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. roll — a list
  3. track — a path
  4. kid — to tease
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. track — a song
  8. can — a tin
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. can — a tin
  12. march — music
  13. track — to keep track
  14. roll — a cake
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. march — the month
  17. can — to be able to
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — of the year
  20. foot — a measure
  21. march — the month
  22. season — in sport
  23. kid — child
  24. roll — on a roll

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