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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: bear · shower · branch · ball · chip · track · kick · wave

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. branch — a division
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. ball — a great time
  6. chip — to eat
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. ball — a dance
  9. shower — to wash
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. track — a path
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. kick — in football
  19. track — a song
  20. chip — for betting
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. shower — rain

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