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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. pass — a permit
  3. track — to keep track
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — child
  7. track — a song
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. bank — for money
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. branch — a division
  24. jam — in traffic

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