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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: coach · dip · trunk · degree · present · track · band · spell

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. track — a path
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. band — a ring
  5. present — there
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. spell — letters
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. degree — from a university
  12. dip — to sink
  13. band — a music group
  14. present — the time now
  15. track — a song
  16. degree — an amount
  17. present — a gift
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. degree — temperature
  21. spell — magic
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. spell — a short time
  24. track — to keep track

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