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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: mark · mine · track · branch · patient · cap · bore · chip

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bore — to drill
  5. cap — of ice
  6. track — to keep track
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mark — a trace
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. track — a song
  11. track — a path
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. mine — for digging
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. chip — for betting
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. branch — a division
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cap — a lid
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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