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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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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: cell · mark · track · perch · trunk · tear · bay · capital

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. tear — from crying
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. capital — money
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. perch — the fish
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cell — in biology
  13. track — to keep track
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. mark — a trace
  17. track — a song
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. mark — a grade
  21. track — a path
  22. capital — a city
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. capital — a big letter

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