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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: rock · cold · saw · track · club · fan · bore · branch

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. saw — the tool
  3. track — a path
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. rock — music
  6. track — to keep track
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bore — to drill
  9. club — for golf
  10. cold — not warm
  11. rock — a stone
  12. bore — to tire
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. club — a group
  17. cold — an illness
  18. track — a song
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. branch — a division
  23. club — for dancing
  24. saw — the tool

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