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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a path
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. saw — the tool
  6. can — a tin
  7. last — final
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — to protest
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. track — a song
  16. object — an aim
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. last — finally
  19. saw — the tool
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. last — to go on

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