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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: march · dip · straw · branch · track · lean · wake · capital

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. march — the month
  4. dip — to sink
  5. lean — thin
  6. track — a path
  7. track — to keep track
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. march — music
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. track — a song
  15. capital — money
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. march — the month
  22. branch — a division
  23. lean — to bend
  24. capital — a city

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