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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. face — to point toward
  6. wind — moving air
  7. face — part of the head
  8. club — a group
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. branch — a division
  12. wind — moving air
  13. track — to keep track
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. wake — a trail
  18. club — for dancing
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. club — for golf
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. face — to confront
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. track — a song

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