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

Word bank: wind · trunk · rule · track · stick · pass · staff · last

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. last — to go on
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. last — final
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — a law
  8. wind — moving air
  9. staff — employees
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. wind — moving air
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. track — a path
  15. track — to keep track
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. track — a song
  18. staff — employees
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. last — finally
  22. pass — a permit
  23. rule — government
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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