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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: track · drill · dip · branch · shower · rock · capital · mouse

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. dip — to sink
  3. track — to keep track
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. rock — music
  6. shower — rain
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — army training
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. drill — the tool
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. capital — money
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. rock — a stone
  20. branch — a division
  21. shower — to wash
  22. track — a song
  23. track — a path
  24. capital — a city

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