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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. row — a line
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. track — a path
  6. prune — to trim
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a list
  10. row — to paddle
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. root — of a plant
  13. roll — a cake
  14. track — a song
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. branch — a division
  19. prune — to trim
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a word
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. row — a quarrel

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