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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: branch · cue · kid · wax · content · bank · straw · track

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bank — of a river
  4. content — happy
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. cue — a signal
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. kid — to tease
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bank — for money
  11. kid — child
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. branch — a division
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bank — for money
  18. wax — to grow
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. track — a song
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. cue — for pool
  23. track — a path
  24. content — the amount

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