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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.

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: clip · rock · staff · rash · trunk · track · tear · wave

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. rock — a stone
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. track — a song
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. clip — for paper
  8. staff — a stick
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. clip — to cut
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. rash — a series
  15. track — to keep track
  16. clip — a video
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. tear — to rip
  20. staff — employees
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rock — music
  23. staff — employees
  24. tear — from crying

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