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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.

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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · branch · lash · game · cell · patient · last

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. mark — a grade
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. last — to go on
  5. track — a path
  6. game — wild animals
  7. cell — a phone
  8. game — a match
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. track — to keep track
  12. last — final
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — in biology
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. track — a song
  18. branch — a division
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. mark — a trace
  24. patient — a sick person

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