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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: club · board · track · last · root · bay · trunk · bear

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. track — a song
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. last — final
  5. root — the cause
  6. track — to keep track
  7. last — to go on
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — to get on
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. track — a path
  14. root — of a word
  15. bear — the animal
  16. club — for golf
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. root — of a plant
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. last — finally
  23. bear — the animal
  24. club — for dancing

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