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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 116 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: board · bay · current · track · stem · fall · branch · last

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. fall — the season
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. last — to go on
  5. board — to get on
  6. current — electric
  7. current — happening now
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. last — finally
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. track — a song
  12. board — a committee
  13. branch — a division
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. fall — to drop
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. current — of water
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. last — final
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. track — to keep track
  24. stem — to come from

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