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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: mark · clip · track · bore · bank · lean · degree · wake

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. degree — from a university
  3. track — a song
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a path
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to tire
  10. lean — to bend
  11. bank — for money
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a trace
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bank — for money
  16. wake — a trail
  17. degree — an amount
  18. clip — for paper
  19. lean — thin
  20. bank — of a river
  21. clip — a video
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. mark — a grade

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