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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: track · can · row · toast · tear · degree · mark · hand

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. track — to keep track
  3. degree — an amount
  4. mark — a grade
  5. hand — help
  6. can — a tin
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. can — a tin
  11. track — a path
  12. row — a line
  13. degree — temperature
  14. track — a song
  15. tear — to rip
  16. hand — in cards
  17. can — to be able to
  18. degree — from a university
  19. toast — bread
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. mark — a trace
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. row — a quarrel

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