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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. branch — a division
  3. track — to keep track
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bark — to shout
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. bear — the animal
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bat — the animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. track — a path
  21. track — a song
  22. bear — the animal
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. calf — a young 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