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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: track · mark · face · game · club · branch · scale · shower

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. branch — a division
  3. face — to point toward
  4. shower — rain
  5. scale — size or range
  6. track — a path
  7. club — for golf
  8. track — a song
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. face — part of the head
  14. game — a match
  15. shower — to wash
  16. mark — a grade
  17. club — a group
  18. scale — in music
  19. mark — a trace
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — wild animals
  23. face — to confront
  24. track — to keep track

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