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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: jam · trunk · fine · clip · leaves · track · tear · ruler

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — to keep track
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. fine — high quality
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. tear — from crying
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — all right
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. clip — for paper
  12. tear — to rip
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. tear — from crying
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. clip — to cut
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. clip — a video
  22. track — a song
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — to go away

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