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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: trunk · cap · pass · object · bore · nail · last · track

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. track — to keep track
  3. pass — a permit
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. bore — to drill
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. cap — a hat
  9. track — a path
  10. bore — to tire
  11. track — a song
  12. cap — a lid
  13. object — to protest
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. last — final
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. last — finally
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. object — a thing
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. last — to go on
  23. object — an aim
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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