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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: band · trunk · kick · bay · mate · race · track · rock

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. mate — a friend
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. kick — in football
  7. track — a song
  8. band — a music group
  9. mate — a partner
  10. rock — a stone
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. track — to keep track
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. race — a contest
  17. mate — to breed
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — humankind
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. rock — music
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. track — a path
  24. band — a ring

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