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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: track · bowl · dip · mug · trunk · clip · season · face

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. face — part of the head
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. dip — to sink
  6. season — of the year
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. face — to point toward
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. mug — a cup
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. face — to confront
  13. track — a song
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. clip — for paper
  16. track — a path
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. clip — to cut
  21. mug — to rob
  22. clip — a video
  23. mug — a face
  24. track — to keep track

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