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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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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. track — to keep track
  3. can — a tin
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. track — a path
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. swing — music
  12. stem — to come from
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a ring
  15. track — a song
  16. can — to be able to
  17. can — a tin
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — to play on
  24. branch — of a bank

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