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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: branch · wax · mark · prune · mouse · can · cold · track

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. cold — not warm
  5. wax — to grow
  6. track — to keep track
  7. mark — a trace
  8. track — a song
  9. prune — to trim
  10. branch — a division
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. can — to be able to
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. can — a tin
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. can — a tin
  19. mark — a grade
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. cold — an illness
  24. branch — of a tree

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