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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: date · track · kick · spell · straw · drill · mark · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — magic
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. branch — a division
  8. drill — a practice
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. mark — a grade
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. track — to keep track
  13. mark — a trace
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. drill — army training
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. track — a song
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. track — a path
  20. drill — the tool
  21. kick — in football
  22. spell — letters
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. date — the fruit

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