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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. face — to confront
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. track — a song
  6. track — a path
  7. pass — a permit
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. face — part of the head
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. face — to point toward
  19. track — to keep track
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. trunk — of a car

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