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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  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. track — to keep track
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. band — a music group
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. track — a path
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. board — to get on
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. band — a ring
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — for dancing
  14. wind — moving air
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. club — a group
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. board — a committee
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — humankind
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. band — a rubber band
  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