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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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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: rest · dip · pop · trunk · deal · foot · track · spell

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. pop — to visit
  3. track — to keep track
  4. pop — music
  5. rest — what's left
  6. spell — magic
  7. pop — soda
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. spell — a short time
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. track — a song
  17. rest — a break
  18. deal — to handle
  19. rest — what's left
  20. spell — letters
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. foot — a measure
  23. track — a path
  24. dip — to sink

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