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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — a path
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bear — the animal
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. track — to keep track
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lean — thin
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. lean — to bend
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. branch — a division
  24. bowl — a dish

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