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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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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 · branch · ruler · track · snap · shower · file · cue

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cue — a hint
  4. track — to keep track
  5. mark — a grade
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a line of people
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mark — a trace
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. shower — rain
  13. file — a tool
  14. track — a song
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. track — a path
  17. cue — for pool
  18. snap — to click
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. branch — a division

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