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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: sharp · hand · tear · leaves · track · can · bound · last

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  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. leaves — to go away
  2. track — a song
  3. can — a tin
  4. bound — certain
  5. last — finally
  6. sharp — clever
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. tear — to rip
  10. can — to be able to
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. last — final
  13. can — a tin
  14. hand — in cards
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. hand — help
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bound — obliged
  19. last — to go on
  20. bound — tied together
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. track — a path
  23. tear — from crying
  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