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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 120 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: straw · tear · dip · track · bound · march · rock · deal

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  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. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. track — a path
  4. tear — from crying
  5. track — a song
  6. rock — music
  7. track — to keep track
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. march — the month
  10. rock — a stone
  11. deal — to handle
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bound — obliged
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. march — the month
  17. tear — to rip
  18. march — music
  19. bound — certain
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bound — tied together
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  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