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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. track — a path
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. mark — a grade
  10. band — a music group
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. band — a ring
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. file — a tool
  16. track — to keep track
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. file — a document
  19. mark — a trace
  20. wax — to grow
  21. file — a line of people
  22. track — a song
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. row — a line

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