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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: face · saw · clip · band · track · coach · present · tear

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. saw — the tool
  4. present — a gift
  5. present — the time now
  6. tear — to rip
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. face — to point toward
  9. track — to keep track
  10. band — a ring
  11. saw — the tool
  12. clip — to cut
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. tear — from crying
  15. band — a music group
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — a video
  18. present — there
  19. face — part of the head
  20. tear — from crying
  21. face — to confront
  22. track — a song
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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