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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
468
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: trunk · chest · rest · degree · track · can · hand · bay

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. degree — an amount
  6. hand — help
  7. chest — of your body
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. track — a song
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. track — to keep track
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. chest — a box
  18. degree — temperature
  19. rest — a break
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. degree — from a university
  23. can — a tin
  24. track — a path

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