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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. track — a path
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. present — a gift
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — a trail
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. wound — an injury
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. track — a song
  19. wound — an injury
  20. snap — to click
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. present — there
  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