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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: cap · mate · wound · trunk · pitcher · content · track · snap

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. wound — an injury
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. content — the amount
  7. cap — a hat
  8. track — a path
  9. mate — a friend
  10. cap — a lid
  11. track — a song
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. track — to keep track
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cap — of ice
  18. mate — to breed
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. mate — a partner
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. content — happy
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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