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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 120 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. rock — a stone
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. track — a path
  7. bat — the animal
  8. track — to keep track
  9. last — finally
  10. last — final
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stem — to come from
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — music
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. pound — a weight
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. last — to go on
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. pound — for dogs

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