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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: stem · band · trunk · arm · wave · court · track · mark

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. stem — to come from
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a grade
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. track — a song
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. court — of law
  10. court — for sport
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. court — of a king
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. track — a path
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. track — to keep track
  24. band — a ring

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