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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. deal — to handle
  7. craft — boats
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. craft — a skill
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. rock — music
  18. track — to keep track
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. branch — a division
  21. rock — a stone
  22. track — a path
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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