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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 · bat · date · kid · root · stick · branch · hand

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. hand — help
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. kid — to tease
  6. root — the cause
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. kid — child
  9. track — to keep track
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. track — a song
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — of a word
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. date — the fruit
  16. track — a path
  17. hand — in cards
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bat — the animal
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

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