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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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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: snap · wake · track · net · trunk · band · scale · dip

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. track — a song
  3. track — a path
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to click
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. scale — in music
  11. dip — to sink
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. track — to keep track
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — size or range
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a music group
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. band — a ring
  24. wake — a trail

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