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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 116 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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. squash — the sport
  3. fork — in a road
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. squash — to crush
  6. mark — a trace
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — in cards
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. swing — to play on
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. track — a song
  14. tube — the underground
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. mark — a grade
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. swing — in golf
  20. track — to keep track
  21. branch — a division
  22. swing — music
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. tube — a container

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