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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. drill — army training
  3. drill — the tool
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. branch — a division
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. craft — boats
  11. pitch — completely
  12. squash — to crush
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. craft — a skill
  16. squash — the sport
  17. rash — a series
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. track — a song
  20. rash — hasty
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. drill — a practice
  24. track — to keep track

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