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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 116 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 · track · march · bank · season · object · wind · pass

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bank — of a river
  3. march — the month
  4. season — in sport
  5. object — to protest
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mark — a trace
  9. wind — moving air
  10. object — an aim
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. track — a path
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. track — a song
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. pass — a permit
  19. object — a thing
  20. bank — for money
  21. season — of the year
  22. bank — for money
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. mark — a grade

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