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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: perch · tear · file · wound · craft · track · bear · rock

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bear — the animal
  3. rock — a stone
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bear — the animal
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a tool
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. tear — to rip
  11. track — to keep track
  12. file — a document
  13. wound — an injury
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. track — a song
  17. craft — boats
  18. craft — a skill
  19. tear — from crying
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wound — an injury
  22. tear — from crying
  23. track — a path
  24. rock — music

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