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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. degree — from a university
  3. tear — from crying
  4. race — the arms race
  5. bank — of a river
  6. track — a path
  7. track — a song
  8. tear — from crying
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. race — humankind
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. race — a contest
  16. bank — for money
  17. degree — temperature
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. plane — a tool
  20. bank — for money
  21. degree — an amount
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. tear — to rip

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