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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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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: bore · trunk · mate · club · leaves · tear · pass · track

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pass — a permit
  7. track — a song
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bore — to tire
  12. club — for dancing
  13. club — for golf
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. track — to keep track
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. club — a group
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. mate — to breed
  22. bore — to drill
  23. track — a path
  24. mate — a partner

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