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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 120 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: trunk · mug · wax · present · shower · game · mark · track

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. game — wild animals
  3. shower — to wash
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. game — a match
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a trace
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. shower — rain
  12. mug — a cup
  13. track — a song
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. track — to keep track
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. mug — a face
  18. mug — to rob
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. present — a gift
  22. present — the time now
  23. mark — a grade
  24. track — a path

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