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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: fan · saw · track · foot · bat · trunk · pop · craft

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. track — a path
  3. foot — a measure
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. pop — music
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. craft — a skill
  15. track — a song
  16. bat — the animal
  17. saw — the tool
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. pop — soda
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. craft — boats
  23. saw — the tool
  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