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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: saw · rock · pit · tear · band · land · track · pitcher

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. tear — to rip
  3. band — a ring
  4. pit — a hole
  5. track — a song
  6. tear — from crying
  7. land — a country
  8. land — ground
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rock — a stone
  13. track — to keep track
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. rock — music
  17. land — to come down
  18. band — a music group
  19. saw — the tool
  20. track — a path
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pit — in a race
  23. tear — from crying
  24. band — a rubber band

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