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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: track · hand · arm · fine · rest · pitcher · trunk · wave

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. track — a song
  4. track — to keep track
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. hand — in cards
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. track — a path
  19. hand — help
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. fine — all right
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. rest — a break

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