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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: track · wound · saw · cold · shower · trunk · cue · bank

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — a path
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. track — to keep track
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cue — a signal
  7. shower — rain
  8. bank — for money
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. shower — to wash
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cold — not warm
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. cue — for pool
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bank — for money
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bank — of a river
  20. cold — an illness
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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