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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. band — a ring
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. band — a music group
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. race — a contest
  12. current — of water
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. current — happening now
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bear — the animal
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a song
  19. race — the arms race
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. race — humankind
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. current — electric
  24. bear — the animal

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