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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cap · track · toast · tube · branch · cold · wax · lean

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. track — a path
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. lean — thin
  7. cap — a hat
  8. branch — a division
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. track — a song
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. cap — a lid
  14. toast — bread
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. tube — the underground
  17. cap — of ice
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. lean — to bend
  20. cold — not warm
  21. wax — to grow
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. cold — an illness
  24. toast — the most admired

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