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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. dip — to sink
  3. track — a song
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. tube — a container
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. track — to keep track
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — the underground
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. ball — a great time
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. track — a path
  18. ball — a dance
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. branch — a division
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. straw — a straw man

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