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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. dip — to sink
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. vault — a safe
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. track — a song
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. track — to keep track
  15. rock — music
  16. current — of water
  17. current — electric
  18. rock — a stone
  19. present — the time now
  20. present — a gift
  21. present — there
  22. current — happening now
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. trunk — of a tree

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