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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: bore · march · bat · foot · ball · branch · swing · track

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. bore — to tire
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. track — a song
  5. bat — the animal
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. ball — a dance
  12. swing — in golf
  13. track — a path
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. track — to keep track
  16. march — the month
  17. foot — a measure
  18. march — music
  19. branch — a division
  20. march — the month
  21. swing — music
  22. bore — to drill
  23. swing — to play on
  24. branch — of a bank

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