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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: plane · rock · trunk · rash · lie · race · cold · track

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. track — to keep track
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. track — a path
  5. cold — not warm
  6. rock — a stone
  7. plane — a tool
  8. rock — music
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. race — humankind
  14. cold — an illness
  15. race — a contest
  16. rash — a series
  17. lie — to recline
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. rash — hasty
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. track — a song
  24. race — the arms race

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