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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: ground · track · trunk · fan · dip · content · arm · can

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. track — to keep track
  4. can — a tin
  5. track — a song
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. content — the amount
  12. ground — the earth
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. ground — a position
  16. track — a path
  17. ground — crushed
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. content — happy
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. arm — part of the body

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