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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: bowl · tear · track · toast · clip · firm · lash · spring

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. track — a song
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. firm — a company
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. spring — of water
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. spring — a coil
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. track — a path
  12. clip — a video
  13. firm — steady
  14. toast — bread
  15. tear — from crying
  16. firm — decided
  17. track — to keep track
  18. tear — to rip
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. clip — to cut
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. spring — the season
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. clip — for paper

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