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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: kick · track · spring · bank · jam · sharp · snap · tear

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  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 — for money
  2. track — to keep track
  3. kick — in football
  4. spring — the season
  5. bank — of a river
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bank — for money
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. tear — from crying
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. tear — to rip
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. track — a path
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. spring — a coil
  20. tear — from crying
  21. snap — to click
  22. spring — of water
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  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