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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: dip · squash · mate · trunk · land · hand · suit · track

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. track — a path
  3. dip — to sink
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. mate — a partner
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. suit — in cards
  8. mate — to breed
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. suit — to fit
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. track — to keep track
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — to crush
  15. hand — help
  16. squash — the sport
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. mate — a friend
  20. hand — in cards
  21. land — a country
  22. track — a song
  23. suit — clothes
  24. land — to come down

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