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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: spell · branch · track · charge · field · tear · scale · can

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. charge — electricity
  3. field — farmland
  4. charge — in control
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. scale — in music
  7. field — for sport
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. can — a tin
  10. track — a path
  11. field — a subject
  12. scale — size or range
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. spell — a short time
  15. branch — a division
  16. tear — from crying
  17. charge — a price
  18. spell — magic
  19. can — to be able to
  20. tear — to rip
  21. tear — from crying
  22. track — a song
  23. can — a tin
  24. spell — letters

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