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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: trunk · mine · mug · track · wake · stick · chest · row

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. track — a path
  3. mug — a face
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. mug — to rob
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. wake — a trail
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. chest — a box
  15. mug — a cup
  16. row — to paddle
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — for digging
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. track — to keep track
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. chest — of your body
  23. row — a line
  24. track — a song

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