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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: rest · tear · saw · foot · file · track · craft · rash

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a song
  4. foot — a measure
  5. file — a line of people
  6. rest — what's left
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. file — a tool
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. track — a path
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — hasty
  14. craft — a skill
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rest — what's left
  17. tear — to rip
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. saw — the tool
  20. file — a document
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. craft — boats
  24. rash — on the skin

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