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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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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: stem · branch · track · net · court · band · wake · fall

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. fall — to drop
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — a division
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. net — after costs
  8. fall — to drop
  9. net — in sport
  10. track — a song
  11. court — for sport
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. net — for catching
  14. fall — the season
  15. track — to keep track
  16. court — of a king
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. track — a path
  22. band — a music group
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. court — of law

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