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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: track · can · cold · spell · jam · foot · fork · trunk

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. track — a path
  3. spell — letters
  4. cold — not warm
  5. foot — a measure
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. cold — an illness
  9. can — a tin
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. can — a tin
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. track — to keep track
  16. spell — magic
  17. track — a song
  18. can — to be able to
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. spell — a short time
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. fork — in a road

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