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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: spring · foot · drill · race · branch · mark · track · hide

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. track — a path
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. drill — army training
  6. spring — a coil
  7. branch — a division
  8. foot — a measure
  9. drill — the tool
  10. mark — a trace
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. race — the arms race
  13. race — a contest
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. race — humankind
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. spring — of water
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. drill — a practice
  22. spring — the season
  23. mark — a grade
  24. track — a song

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