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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. track — a path
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. march — the month
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — magic
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. march — music
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. dip — to sink
  13. spell — a short time
  14. track — a song
  15. march — the month
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. prune — to trim
  18. track — to keep track
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. wave — of the sea

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