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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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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: roll · tear · can · tube · toast · track · pound · cold

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. roll — a list
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tear — from crying
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. track — a song
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pound — a weight
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a cake
  18. track — a path
  19. track — to keep track
  20. tube — a container
  21. toast — bread
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tear — to rip
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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