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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 120 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. track — a path
  5. spell — letters
  6. branch — a division
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — finally
  9. current — electric
  10. last — final
  11. bore — to drill
  12. current — of water
  13. current — happening now
  14. spell — magic
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. foot — a measure
  17. bore — to tire
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. spell — a short time
  20. snap — to click
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. track — to keep track

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