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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. branch — a division
  3. rest — a break
  4. drill — army training
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. drill — the tool
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. lean — to bend
  10. scale — size or range
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. rest — what's left
  13. scale — in music
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a music group
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. drill — a practice
  18. track — a path
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. track — a song
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. lean — thin
  24. mouse — the animal

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