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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 120 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: drill · last · track · chest · hide · branch · tube · dip

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. chest — a box
  3. chest — of your body
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. track — a path
  8. branch — a division
  9. chest — of your body
  10. drill — army training
  11. dip — to sink
  12. track — a song
  13. tube — the underground
  14. last — to go on
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. drill — the tool
  17. tube — a container
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. drill — a practice
  20. last — finally
  21. track — to keep track
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. hide — animal skin

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