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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.

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: date · stock · track · bay · bound · chest · tear · wound

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. chest — of your body
  3. tear — from crying
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. track — a song
  6. stock — shares
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. date — the fruit
  10. track — to keep track
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. chest — a box
  14. stock — goods
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bound — tied together
  18. chest — of your body
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. tear — to rip
  23. track — a path
  24. bound — certain

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