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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 120 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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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 · spring · rule · rock · deal · tear · trunk · arm

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. track — a path
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. rule — a law
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. tear — from crying
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. track — to keep track
  11. tear — to rip
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. tear — from crying
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. rule — government
  18. rock — music
  19. spring — of water
  20. track — a song
  21. spring — a coil
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. spring — the season
  24. rock — a stone

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