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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. roll — a cake
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. tear — from crying
  6. roll — a list
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. tear — from crying
  11. track — a song
  12. track — a path
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. stem — to come from
  17. pitch — completely
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. shower — to wash
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. tear — to rip
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. track — to keep track

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