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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  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. trunk — of an elephant
  2. track — a path
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. key — for a lock
  5. field — farmland
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bank — for money
  8. track — to keep track
  9. field — a subject
  10. degree — temperature
  11. season — in sport
  12. field — for sport
  13. key — the most important part
  14. track — a song
  15. key — in music
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bank — of a river
  18. degree — an amount
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. bank — for money
  23. season — of the year
  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