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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: mug · bat · rule · hand · squash · pop · branch · track

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. rule — a law
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. squash — the sport
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. mug — a cup
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — soda
  10. bat — the animal
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. pop — music
  13. track — to keep track
  14. mug — to rob
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. branch — a division
  17. squash — to crush
  18. mug — a face
  19. track — a path
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. rule — government

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