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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: track · face · branch · drill · leaves · pitcher · roll · racket

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. branch — a division
  7. roll — a cake
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — to point toward
  10. roll — a list
  11. face — part of the head
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. track — a path
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — a practice

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