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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: fall · trunk · bear · branch · tear · pass · saw · track

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. tear — from crying
  3. branch — a division
  4. saw — the tool
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bear — the animal
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. track — a path
  12. track — a song
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bear — the animal
  15. fall — to drop
  16. tear — to rip
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. fall — to drop
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. fall — the season
  23. saw — the tool
  24. branch — of a bank

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