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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. bound — tied together
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. track — to keep track
  6. spell — letters
  7. track — a song
  8. tear — to rip
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. pop — soda
  11. track — a path
  12. spell — a short time
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pop — music
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — certain
  20. spell — magic
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. pop — to visit
  23. tear — from crying
  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