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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: game · trunk · bound · mark · rush · face · track · wind

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. game — a match
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. rush — hurry
  10. track — a path
  11. track — a song
  12. wind — moving air
  13. face — part of the head
  14. mark — a grade
  15. face — to point toward
  16. track — to keep track
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bound — obliged
  19. wind — moving air
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bound — certain
  22. face — to confront
  23. bound — tied together
  24. game — a kind of play

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