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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. deal — to handle
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. track — a path
  7. kid — child
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. file — a line of people
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. field — a subject
  13. can — a tin
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. field — for sport
  16. kid — to tease
  17. field — farmland
  18. track — to keep track
  19. can — a tin
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a document
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. track — a song
  24. can — to be able to

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