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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mark · root · straw · wound · track · kick · scale · branch

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. track — a path
  3. wound — an injury
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. track — a song
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. root — of a plant
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — a grade
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. root — of a word
  16. scale — in music
  17. track — to keep track
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. scale — size or range
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. root — the cause
  22. branch — a division
  23. wound — an injury
  24. kick — with a leg

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