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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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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 · row · bank · land · present · tear · lean · cell

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. cell — a phone
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — there
  5. cell — in biology
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. present — a gift
  9. lean — thin
  10. land — to come down
  11. track — to keep track
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. tear — from crying
  14. land — ground
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bank — for money
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bank — for money
  20. track — a path
  21. land — a country
  22. row — a line
  23. tear — from crying
  24. track — a song

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