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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: wound · calf · trunk · land · track · stem · perch · pitch

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — to keep track
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. track — a path
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. pitch — completely
  14. perch — the fish
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. land — to come down
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. land — ground
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. land — a country
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stem — to come from

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