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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
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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: squash · pit · track · season · wound · trunk · rock · content

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. content — happy
  4. rock — a stone
  5. season — of the year
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. wound — an injury
  8. season — in sport
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. pit — in a race
  12. rock — music
  13. content — the amount
  14. track — to keep track
  15. pit — a hole
  16. track — a song
  17. squash — the sport
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. wound — an injury
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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