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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: press · fall · branch · track · deal · mate

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — to keep track
  3. press — a publisher
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. press — newspapers
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. fall — the season
  8. mate — to breed
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. press — to push
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mate — a friend
  13. fall — to drop
  14. deal — to handle
  15. mate — a partner
  16. track — a song
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division

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