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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. wake — a trail
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. present — a gift
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. track — to keep track
  12. rule — government
  13. branch — a division
  14. track — a song
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. band — a music group
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — the animal
  19. rule — a law
  20. present — there
  21. band — a ring
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. present — the time now

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