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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
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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 · calf · rock · board · spring · track · pound · file

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. track — to keep track
  5. file — a tool
  6. track — a path
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. file — a document
  10. pound — a weight
  11. board — a committee
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — the season
  14. file — a line of people
  15. track — a song
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. tear — to rip
  19. spring — of water
  20. tear — from crying
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. board — to get on
  24. rock — a stone

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