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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: content · march · dip · wake · bank · track · nail · pitch

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. march — the month
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. bank — for money
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. content — happy
  9. track — to keep track
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. track — a song
  12. bank — of a river
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. pitch — completely
  15. march — the month
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bank — for money
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — to sink
  21. march — music
  22. content — the amount
  23. wake — a trail
  24. nail — for a hammer

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