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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. track — a path
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. dip — to sink
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. track — to keep track
  8. shower — to wash
  9. wind — moving air
  10. band — a music group
  11. track — a song
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. rock — a stone
  15. band — a ring
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. shower — rain
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. rock — music
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. wind — moving air

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