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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. chest — a box
  3. wake — a trail
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. track — to keep track
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. mark — a grade
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. chest — of your body
  12. staff — employees
  13. chest — of your body
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. tear — from crying
  16. track — a song
  17. tear — to rip
  18. track — a path
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. tear — from crying
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. wake — before a funeral

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