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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. rash — a series
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bass — low music
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. row — to paddle
  9. ground — crushed
  10. track — a path
  11. ground — a position
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. rash — hasty
  14. track — a song
  15. wound — an injury
  16. ground — the earth
  17. wound — an injury
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bass — the fish
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. track — to keep track
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. row — a line

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