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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 · track · kid · mine · dip · jam · toast · wound

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a path
  4. wound — an injury
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. mine — for digging
  10. wound — an injury
  11. toast — bread
  12. kid — to tease
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. kid — child
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. saw — the tool
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. dip — to sink
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. track — a song
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mine — an explosive

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