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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: mug · mine · track · wake · bat · club · lean · branch

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — for digging
  3. track — to keep track
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. branch — a division
  6. club — for golf
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — to rob
  12. lean — to bend
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. track — a song
  15. club — for dancing
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. lean — thin
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. track — a path
  22. wake — a trail
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. club — a group

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