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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. track — a song
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. track — to keep track
  5. tube — a container
  6. cap — of ice
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. track — a path
  9. wind — moving air
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. wind — moving air
  15. cap — a hat
  16. pitch — completely
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. tube — the underground
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cap — a lid
  22. branch — a division
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. toast — bread

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