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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · deal · branch · file · leaves · track · temple · clip

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. clip — a video
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. content — the amount
  5. file — a line of people
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. deal — to handle
  8. file — a tool
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. clip — to cut
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. file — a document
  17. track — a path
  18. track — a song
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. clip — for paper
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. content — happy

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