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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.

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: track · spell · plane · nail · leaves · bass · stick · tear

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. spell — letters
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. spell — magic
  5. tear — from crying
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. spell — a short time
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. track — a path
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. plane — a tool
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bass — low music
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. track — a song
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bass — the fish
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. track — to keep track

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