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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.

Make a worksheet

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: craft · bank · tear · pitcher · foot · date · trunk · track

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. track — to keep track
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. tear — from crying
  6. track — a song
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. track — a path
  9. tear — to rip
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bank — for money
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. craft — boats
  16. tear — from crying
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. date — the fruit
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — of a river
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. foot — a measure

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