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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: trunk · track · rush · saw · season · fine · pop · march

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. season — in sport
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. pop — music
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fine — all right
  8. saw — the tool
  9. march — the month
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. march — the month
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. season — of the year
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. march — music
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. track — a path
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. fine — high quality
  20. rush — hurry
  21. track — a song
  22. pop — to visit
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. pop — soda

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