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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 120 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: key · trunk · track · chip · bat · tear · press · bear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. press — newspapers
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bear — the animal
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. tear — to rip
  10. track — a song
  11. bat — the animal
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — to push
  17. key — in music
  18. key — the most important part
  19. track — a path
  20. bear — the animal
  21. chip — for betting
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. tear — from crying
  24. chip — to eat

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