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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: mark · date · straw · tear · track · mug · rash · can

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. can — to be able to
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. mark — a grade
  7. tear — to rip
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. rash — a series
  11. track — a song
  12. rash — hasty
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. can — a tin
  16. date — the fruit
  17. mug — to rob
  18. track — a path
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mug — a cup
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. can — a tin
  24. track — to keep track

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