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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: deal · branch · wound · squash · bay · track · bat · stem

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  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 — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. wound — an injury
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — to crush
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. branch — a division
  18. track — a path
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. wound — an injury
  21. squash — the sport
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. stem — of a plant
  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