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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 · rock · branch · hand · cold · snap · key · board

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. track — to keep track
  3. hand — help
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — not warm
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. key — in music
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. branch — a division
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. track — a path
  15. hand — in cards
  16. board — a committee
  17. rock — music
  18. board — to get on
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. rock — a stone
  21. track — a song
  22. snap — to click
  23. key — for a lock
  24. key — the most important part

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