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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. craft — boats
  3. track — a path
  4. can — a tin
  5. degree — from a university
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. degree — an amount
  8. craft — a skill
  9. net — after costs
  10. degree — temperature
  11. net — for catching
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. net — in sport
  14. clip — a video
  15. track — to keep track
  16. clip — to cut
  17. staff — employees
  18. can — a tin
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. can — to be able to
  23. clip — for paper
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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