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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: spring · rest · cold · rush · chip · tear · track · pass

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. track — a song
  3. chip — to eat
  4. rest — what's left
  5. spring — of water
  6. track — a path
  7. cold — not warm
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. tear — from crying
  12. spring — the season
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. rest — a break
  16. chip — for betting
  17. track — to keep track
  18. pass — a permit
  19. cold — an illness
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. tear — to rip
  23. spring — a coil
  24. tear — from crying

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