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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. squash — to crush
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. track — a song
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. clip — to cut
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — army training
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — for paper
  17. squash — the sport
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a path
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. date — the fruit
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. date — on the calendar

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