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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: bore · clip · track · stick · tear · bass · pit · bear

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  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. clip — for paper
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bore — to tire
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bear — the animal
  8. track — a song
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. tear — to rip
  11. clip — a video
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bear — the animal
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. pit — a hole
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. track — a path
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. pit — in a race
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bore — to drill
  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