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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 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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — to keep track
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. wind — moving air
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. mark — a grade
  8. track — a path
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. chest — of your body
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. wind — moving air
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. wake — a trail
  15. chest — a box
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mark — a trace
  21. dip — to sink
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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