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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. cap — of ice
  5. saw — the tool
  6. spell — letters
  7. track — to keep track
  8. face — to confront
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wake — a trail
  12. cap — a lid
  13. spell — a short time
  14. track — a path
  15. spell — magic
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to point toward
  19. cap — a hat
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — a permit

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