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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: tube · foot · branch · track · cold · bear · temple · club

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. club — for dancing
  3. bear — the animal
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. club — a group
  6. tube — the underground
  7. branch — a division
  8. club — for golf
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. cold — an illness
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. foot — a measure
  17. cold — not warm
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a path
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. tube — a container
  24. foot — part of the body

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