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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 116 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. cue — a hint
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. spell — a short time
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. track — a path
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. track — to keep track
  15. spell — letters
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. spell — magic
  21. cell — a phone
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cell — in biology
  24. march — the month

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