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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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. band — a rubber band
  4. net — for catching
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bore — to tire
  9. track — a path
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. band — a ring
  14. branch — a division
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. band — a music group
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. track — a song
  24. leaves — to go away

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