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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
468
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: track · nail · wake · wound · tear · press · mug · pit

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. track — to keep track
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pit — a hole
  9. wound — an injury
  10. press — newspapers
  11. pit — in a race
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. mug — a cup
  15. press — to push
  16. mug — a face
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. press — a publisher
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mug — to rob
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. track — a song
  24. track — a path

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