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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: date · bat · bear · swing · branch · shower · land · track

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. land — a country
  5. track — a song
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. swing — music
  8. land — ground
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bat — the animal
  11. branch — a division
  12. track — to keep track
  13. shower — rain
  14. track — a path
  15. swing — to play on
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. date — the fruit
  18. shower — to wash
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. swing — in golf
  23. land — to come down
  24. date — on the calendar

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