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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. ball — a great time
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. band — a ring
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a song
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. toast — bread
  13. hand — help
  14. kid — child
  15. band — a music group
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a dance
  22. track — a path
  23. hand — in cards
  24. band — a rubber band

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