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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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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 · track · mug · last · hand · branch · safe · present

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. last — final
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — the time now
  5. fall — the season
  6. track — a path
  7. present — there
  8. mug — a cup
  9. last — to go on
  10. hand — in cards
  11. mug — to rob
  12. fall — to drop
  13. last — finally
  14. mug — a face
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. track — a song
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — help
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. fall — to drop

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