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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: band · wave · scale · bay · wound · track · trunk · dip

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a ring
  5. dip — to sink
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. track — a song
  9. wound — an injury
  10. track — to keep track
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. wound — an injury
  13. band — a music group
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. track — a path
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. scale — in music

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