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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.

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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: pound · track · roll · stock · nail · bulb · tear · fall

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. track — to keep track
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. roll — a cake
  6. stock — goods
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. fall — to drop
  10. tear — from crying
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. track — a path
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. track — a song
  17. roll — a list
  18. fall — to drop
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. fall — the season
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pound — a weight
  24. bulb — for light

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