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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. track — a path
  5. cue — for pool
  6. hand — help
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. lie — to recline
  10. hand — in cards
  11. season — in sport
  12. cue — a signal
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. deal — to handle
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. stem — to come from
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. track — a song
  23. cue — a hint
  24. season — of the year

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