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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: stem · bay · cold · fine · track · toast · branch · hide

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. cold — not warm
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. cold — an illness
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. track — a path
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. branch — a division
  11. toast — bread
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. fine — all right
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fine — high quality
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. track — a song
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. toast — the most admired

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