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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: tear · net · face · wind · mine · track · tube · mouse

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. track — to keep track
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. net — in sport
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. face — to point toward
  13. tear — to rip
  14. face — part of the head
  15. track — a path
  16. net — after costs
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tube — a container
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. track — a song
  21. face — to confront
  22. tube — the underground
  23. mine — for digging
  24. wind — moving air

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