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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. hand — help
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. track — a path
  9. current — of water
  10. spell — magic
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. track — a song
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. branch — a division
  17. current — electric
  18. spell — a short time
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. hand — in cards
  21. current — happening now
  22. spell — letters
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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