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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.

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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: chest · deal · pop · trunk · mark · wake · hand · pitcher

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. mark — a trace
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. pop — music
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. deal — to handle
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pop — to visit
  17. chest — a box
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. hand — in cards
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. mark — a grade
  23. wake — a trail
  24. hand — help

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