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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: track · drill · bay · board · last · calf · face · branch

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — part of the head
  3. track — a song
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. last — final
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. drill — a practice
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. branch — a division
  13. last — to go on
  14. track — to keep track
  15. board — a committee
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — the tool
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. track — a path
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. last — finally
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a flat piece

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