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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 116 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. track — a song
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. bank — for money
  9. land — a country
  10. bank — for money
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. track — a path
  13. land — to come down
  14. tear — from crying
  15. land — ground
  16. degree — temperature
  17. pass — a permit
  18. bank — of a river
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. tear — to rip
  22. track — to keep track
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. degree — from a university

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