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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. land — ground
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. fall — to drop
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. foot — a measure
  7. mug — a cup
  8. suit — in cards
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. mug — to rob
  11. land — to come down
  12. fall — the season
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a path
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. band — a ring
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. suit — to fit
  21. fall — to drop
  22. land — a country
  23. mug — a face
  24. suit — clothes

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