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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 120 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: wave · land · rock · saw · band · tear · mate · track

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. track — a path
  3. band — a music group
  4. track — to keep track
  5. mate — a friend
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. track — a song
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. saw — the tool
  10. band — a ring
  11. land — ground
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. land — to come down
  14. mate — a partner
  15. rock — music
  16. tear — to rip
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. saw — the tool
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rock — a stone
  21. tear — from crying
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. mate — to breed

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